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THE 



'life of JACOB, 



HIS SON 



JOSEPH. 



WRITTEN FOR THE AMERICAN SUNDAY-SCHOOL UNION, AND 
REVISED BY THE COMMITTEE OF PUBLICATION. 




AMERICAN SUNDAY-SCHOOL UNION, 

146 CHESTNUT STREET. 



/fr^^. 



5L5 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1836, by 
Paul Beck, Jr., Treasurer, in trust for the American Sunday- 
school Union, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the 
Eastern District of Pennsylvania. 



S^^^ 



/ ^ p i^h^ 



THE T*^ 

LIFE OF JACOB, 

AND 

HIS SON JOSEPH. 



CHAPTER I. 

Time when this history begins — Scripture biographies 
— Description of countries — Birth of Jacob and 
Esau — Their childhood — Jacob's youth — The Arabs 
— Hunting in Arabia — The birthright — ^The birth- 
right sold — Isaac's wealth and prosperity. 

It is now eighteen hundred and thirty- 
six years after the birth of Christ. If we 
reckon just as many years before the birth 
of Christ, we shall have the time at which 
the patriarch Jacob was born. I mention 
this in order to assist the reader's memo- 
ry. Jacob was born in the year before 
Christ, 1836. A little calculation will 

3 



4 LIFE OP JACOB, 

show you that this was about 2168 years 
after the creation of the world. 

In the first chapter of the first book of 
Chronicles you will see a list of all the 
ancestors of Jacob, from Adam down- 
wards. And it is remarkable, that from 
the first, God had some one family or 
race which he preserved from idolatry. 
In this way he kept up a perpetual race 
of true worshippers, and he will keep it 
up until the end of time. 

Much of the Bible history is biography, 
or the lives of particular men. Some of 
these are good, and some are bad men. 
And one great reason for giving their 
memoirs is, that we might see how Jesus 
Christ descended from Adam. We have 
a complete list of all the generations from 
Adam to Christ. You will find it in the 
beginning of the New Testament. 

As the human race spread itself over 
the earth, the greatest part became very 
wicked ; yet, as Avas just said, God was 
pleased to select a portion, to whom he 
made himself known. Out of Adam^s 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 7 

family, Seth Avas chosen. Out of Noah's 
family, Shem was chosen. Out of Te- 
rah's family, Abram was chosen. And 
out of Abrani's family, Isaac was chosen. 
In the mean time, the remaining portions 
were multiplying by thousands and mil- 
lions, and overspreading Asia, Africa, and 
Europe. 

Let me try to give you some notion 
of the countries about which you will 
read in this history; for you can never 
have a proper knowledge of any narra- 
tive unless you know whereabouts the 
events took place. The little map on 
the opposite page shows you the whole 
at once. And if you Avill travel with 
Jacob, as he goes from place to place, 
you will fancy yourself in many regions 
very far apart. For, sometimes he was 
in Asia, and sometimes in Africa. And 
while in Asia, he was sometimes in 
Mesopotamia, among the branches of the 
great river Euphrates ; sometimes in Sy- 
ria, between the Euphrates and the Jor- 
dan 5 and sometimes in Palestine, between 



8 LIFE OF JACOB, 

the Jordan and the Mediterranean sea. 
While he was in Africa, he hved in no 
country but Egypt, which may be called 
the north-eastern corner of Africa. 

Now I trust you can form in your own 
mind a little map of all the countries I 
am going to tell about. Besides this, you 
will take care to look at every one of the 
little maps which you will find on the 
pages. 

About the year before Christ, 1836, 
Jacob, the patriarch, was born. He was 
the son of Isaac and Rebekah. His fa- 
ther was about sixty years of age when 
Esau and his brother Jacob were born. 
And during the twenty years which Isaac 
and his wife lived childless, they were 
much afflicted, because they considered 
children a very precious gift of God; and 
Isaac knew, that in the line of his de- 
scendants the Messiah should come. 

In every affliction we should pray. 
Isaac entreated Jehovah for his wife, and 
begged that she might not remain child- 
less, and the Lord heard his prayer. Be- 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 



9 



fore the birth of Jacob, Rebekah also 
was ill affliction of mind, and she went 
to inquire of Jehovah. The way in which 
she got an answer is not revealed, but 
the fact, that God did answer her, is cer- 
tain. And the tidings sent to her were 
very remarkable. The Lord told her that 
she should be the mother of twins, and 
that a great nation should descend from 
each of these two sons. He also told 
her that the elder should serve the young- 
er. You will see hereafter how this came 
to pass. 

We do not 
know the ex- 
act spot where 
the parents 
lived at this 
time. It was 
somewhere in 
the south- 
west of Pa- 
lestine ; pro- 
bably near the well Lahai-roi, where 




10 LIFE OF JACOB, 

Hagar was found by the angel. This 
was at one time the residence of Isaac. 

When the two boys were born, the 
elder was named Esau, which means 
hairy ^ and the younger was named Ja- 
cob, which means, one who trips or sup- 
plants. Both of them afterwards had 
other names given to them, as you will 
soon learn, but they are usually called 
Esau and Jacob. 

There is nothing related of their child- 
hood. Children in all times and all na- 
tions are much alike ; and these little 
boys played and wandered about the 
desert, and among the camels and the 
herds, just as little Arab children do at 
the present time. Their aged grand- 
father Abraham was still alive, and lived 
until they were about fifteen years old; 
so that it is likely they often saw him, 
and heard his holy instructions. And the 
good old man, no doubt, rejoiced to see 
the promise of God beginning to come 
to pass, that he should be the father of 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 11 

many nations. They were the children 
of a very rich man, for Abraham gave 
all that he had to Isaac, except the gifts 
which his other sojis took away with 
them to the east country. I , 

THE YOUTH OP JACOB. 

The boys grew up to be youths. And 
now the difference in their character be- 
gan to appear. Esau used to spend his 
time in hunting, but Jacob was a peacea- 
ble young man, and fond of home. While 
Esau was roaming over the sandy plains, 
and rocky mountains, on the south of 
Palestine, and the edge of Arabia, chas- 
ing the deer and the gazelles which 
abound there ; Jacob was staying among 
the tents of his father's encampment. 
You must remember that these patriarchs 
did not settle in walled cities, or live in 
houses of brick or stone, but wandered 
from place to place, wherever they could 
find the best springs and pastures for 
their herds and flocks, carrying their tents 
with them. 



12 LIFE OF JACOB, 

Just in this manner the Arabs Uve, who 
inhabit that country now. They love 
their tents far more than the finest houses. 
The Arab tent is generally about seven 
feet high, twenty-five to thirty feet long, 
and ten feet wide. It is divided into two 
apartments, the inner one being for the 
women. The furniture is very simple, 
such as saddles for riding and for carry- 
ing burdens; skins for Avater and milk, 
and the liquid butter of the east; and a 
few mats and cloths, which answer for 
chairs and beds. These tents are placed 
in a circle, the chiePs being in the most 
exposed part. At the door of every tent 
the horse or camel of the owner is tied 
to a lance stuck into the earth. When 
they move, the armed men go in front, 
next come the flocks, then the ' beasts of 
burden, carrying the Avomen, children, 
and property. Perhaps the wealthy Isaac 
lived and travelled in this manner, mov- 
ing from place to place in the south of 
Palestine. 

The borders of Canaan and Arabia 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 13 

abound in wild animals, and therefore 
give business to hunters. It was proba- 
bly by the chase that Esau learned to be 
a warrior: We find at a later time that 
he led a band of four hundred men. 
Among the animals of these rocks and 
deserts, are the following : the rock-goat 
or ibex, which is good for food, and is 
like the chamois of the Alps ; they pas- 
ture in flocks, and are sought for their 
skins and horns, which are sold at Jeru- 
salem; the hare^ t\iQ falloiv-deer^iYie py- 
cargy or antelope. These are pursued and 
taken or shot by the Arabs. The an- 
cients killed them with the lance or the 
bow and arrow. And Esau Avas very 
expert in this art. 

Isaac was fond of the wild meat which 
his son brought to the tents from time to 
time; he loved Esau, because he ate of 
his venison; but Rebekah loved Jacob. 
It is not unlikely that this preference of 
the parents led to a certain degree of 
jealousy between the children. The 
partiality of parents almost always ends 
2 



14 LIFE OP JACOB, 

in some misfortune ; you will see how it 
did so in the present case. 

In old times the eldest son had a right 
to many favours. The other children 
were inferior to him. There was a par- 
ticular blessing also upon the first-born, 
and this was called the birthright. It 
Avas not a mere notion or prejudice, but 
was agreeable to the will of God, with 
respect to people of that age. All good» 
men valued this privilege of birthrightW 
very highly. It seems to have included 
many divine blessings, and to have refer- 
ence to the Messiah that was predicted 
Now, although Esau was the first-born, 
yet, as has been said, God had determine 
that the elder should serve the younger, 

On a certain day, after the young me: 
had grown up, Esau went out into th 
fields, and spent the time in such a man- 
ner, that when he came home, he was 
quite exhausted with weariness and hun- 
ger. On his return he found that his 
brother had been preparing a dish of 
vegetables which was very savoury. It 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 15 

was a pottage of a red colour. And you 
will find in books of travels that a pot- 
tage of a reddish brown, or chocolate 
colour, is even now made in those coun- 
tries, of lentiles, a sort of beans, stewed 
with olive oil and garlic; this is a favour- 
ite dish of the rich in Barbary. 

Esau was overcome with a feeling of 
wealoiess and hunger, so that he thought 
more of immediate gratification than of 
all the blessings of God^s promise. Some 
of our greatest follies arise from unbri- 
dled appetites. He said to his brother, 
" Feed me I pray thee with that same red 
pottage, for I am faint.^' 

Jacob answered, " Sell me this day thy 
birthright.'^ It is probable that he had 
long known how much Esau despised 
this privilege. And Esau himself seems 
to have thought, ^'•What signifies the 
promise of God to me — why should I 
care for the land of promise — I shall 
never live to enjoy it.'^ At any rate, he 
is blamed in the New Testament, and 



16 LIFE OF JACOB, 

called a " profane person/' for this very 
affair. For he agreed at once, saying, 
" Behold, I am at the point of death, and 
what profit shall this birthright do to 
me ?'' And Jacob said, " Swear to me 
this day;'' and he took a solemn oath, 
and for one morsel of food sold his birth- 
right. Jacob gave him bread and lentile 
pottage, and he ate and drank, and rose 
up and went away. Thus Esau despised 
his birthright. You will soon perceive 
the serious consequences of his profane 
contempt of God's mercies. 

The whole land of Canaan had been 
promised to Abraham and his seed. God 
renewed this promise to Isaac and his 
seed; but Esau had cut himself oif from 
this promise, and Jacob was now the heir, 
as if he had been the only son. Thirty 
or forty years passed away, of which we 
have no history, except what has just 
been related. During this time there was 
indeed a famine, and Isaac changed his 
place of residence, and went to Gerar, 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 



17 




where Abimelech king of the PhiUstines 
Uved. Here God renewed the promise 
of the land to him and his posterity. 
Isaac dwelt some time at Gerar, and his 
sons probably lived with him. His wealth 
increased, for he engaged in agriculture, 
and received, in one year, a hundred fold, 
and Jehovah blessed him. The Hebrew 
historian speaks of his prosperity Avith a 
remarkable repetition : And the man was 
gkeat; and he went, going on, and was 
GREAT ; until that he was exceeding 
GREAT.* For he had possession of flocks 
and possession of herds, and every thing 
needed in husbandry. After several re- 
movals, they settled at Beersheba. 
* Gen. xxvi. 13. 
^* 



18 LIFE OF JACOB, 

We hear nothing more of Esau until 
he was forty years old, ^t which time he 
married two wives. They were a grief 
of mind to Isaac and Rebekah, for they 
were of the idolatrous race of the Hit- 
tites. In this southern extremity of the 
land, Jacob spent the first forty years of 
his life, a single man, living with his 
aged parents. 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 19 



CHAPTER II. 

Isaac's old age — He desires to bless Esau — Esau goes 
to hunt — Rebekah encourages Jacob to an act of de- 
ceit — Jacob receives the blessing — The blessing of 
Jacob — Esau's return from hunting — Distress of 
Esau and of Isaac — The blessing of Esau — Esau 
hates his brother — ^Jacob flies from his native land — 
Arrives at Luz — Vision of the ladder — Vow at 
Bethel. 

Isaac was very wealthy, as you have 
just been told, but wealth cannot keep 
off the infirmities of old age. He lived 
to be a very old man, and, as is common, 
his eye-sight failed him, so that he could 
not tell one person from another. When 
people begin to find their senses failing, 
it is time for them to think of dying. 
Isaac thought so, and determined to pro- 
nounce a blessing on his eldest son with- 
out delay. It is customary for dying 
fathers to bless their children; and the 



20 LIFE OF JACOB, 

old patriarchs, being prophets, could pro- 
nounce blessings which never failed to 
come to pass. The first-born used to 
have a special blessing, as his birthright. 
The promise of the whole land of Ca- 
naan was part of the blessing of Abra- 
ham and Isaac. 

But God had chosen Jacob to have 
this promise, even before he was born, 
as I have already related. And whether 
Isaac ever knew this or not, Rebekah 
Imew it very well, and took a dishonest 
way to bring it about. God^s predictions 
come to pass very often, when wicked 
people are freely committing wickedness; 
as we see in the death of Christ. 

Isaac called his son Esau, and said to 
him, "My son,'^ and Esau said, "Be- 
hold, here am I.'' And Isaac said, " Be- 
hold, now I am old, and I know not how 
soon I may die. Take thy weapons, thy 
quiver, and thy bow, and go out in the 
desert, and hunt venison for me ; and 
prepare savoury food, such as I love, and 
bring it to me, that I may eat, and bless 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 21 

thee before I die.^' The good old man 
would thus be refreshed, and be able to 
pronounce a solemn prophecy and bless- 
ing over his favourite son. 

Now Rebekah, the mother, overheard 
these words. She knew that the birth- 
right Avas given to her favourite Jacob ; 
but she used deceit in what followed. 
As soon as Esau had gone to hunting, 
she told Jacob what had happened, and 
agreed with him to deceive the blind old 
man. She told Jacob to get her two kids, 
that she might dress them like venison, 
and to pass himself off for his elder bro- 
ther. Jacob said, " My brother is a hairy 
man, and I am a smooth man; perhaps 
my father will feel me, and then he will 
think me a deceiver, and I shall get a 
curse instead of a blessing.'^ 

To this Rebekah answered, " Let the 
curse come upon me^ my son; only obey 
my voice, and go and fetch them.'^ And 
he obeyed, and his mother prepared the 
pretended venison. Then she took a fine 
suit of Esau's, and put it on Jacob. One 



22 LIFE OF JACOB, 

thing more was wanting, and that was, 
to make the skin of Jacob rough and 
hairy Uke his brother's. Now you must 
take notice, that travellers say, the East- 
ern goats have fine silky hair, and I sup- 
pose the hair of very young kids is as 
delicate as that of a man. So she took 
the soft skins of these young animals, 
and fastened them on those parts of his 
body which were naked, such as his 
hands, and his neck. This was a wicked 
act of deceit, and though it proved suc- 
cessful, yet you will observe that Jacob 
had more afiiiction all his life afterwards, 
than any one of the patriarchs. 

As soon as he was disguised, he went 
to his father and gave him the food he 
had got from Rebekah. He then began 
with a falsehood, and said : " I am Esau 
thy first-born. I have done as I was 
ordered; arise, I pray thee, sit up, and 
eat of my venison, that thy soul may 
bless me.'' The old man was surprised 
that Esau could have come back so spee- 
dily, and said: " How is it that thou hast 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 23 

found it so quickly, my son V^ Jacob 
wickedly answered, " Because the Lord 
thy God brought it to me.'^ Isaac was 
still suspicious, and as he could not see, 
he determined to feel, whether it was 
indeed Esau. After he had passed his 
hands over him, he said: "The voice is 
Jacob's, but the hands are Esau's.'^ 
Again he asked, "Art thou my very 
son Esau V^ And Jacob said, " I am.'' 
Then being satisfied, the good father 
asked for the food ; and Jacob set it 
before him, and gave him wine, and 
Isaac ate and drank. Then he said, 
" Come near now, and kiss me, my son.'' 
And Jacob came near, and kissed him. 
When Isaac perceived the smell of the 
clothing, which may have been perfum- 
ed, as is common in the east, he said: 
" See, the smell of my son is as the smell 
of a field which the Lord hath blessed;" 
a field of sweet plants and flowers. And 
he then proceeded to give Jacob the so- 
lemn blessing of the first-born, supposing 



24 LIFE OP JACOB, 

that he was speaking to Esau. His words 
were these. 

THE BLESSING OP JACOB. 

God give thee of the dew of heaven, 
and the fatness of the earth, and plenty 
of corn and wine. Let people serve thee, 
and nations how down to thee. Be lord 
over thy brethren, and let thy mother^ s 
sons bow down to thee. Cursed be every 
one that curseth thee, and blessed be he 
that blesseth thee. 

These words Isaac spake as a prophet. 
All this blessing was verified. It was 
not for Jacob alone, but for all his pos- 
, terity. It was fulfilled to all Israel. - 
They possessed a rich and fruitful land. 
And the descendants of Jacob ruled over 
the descendants of Esau. 

Jacob had hardly gone out, before 
Esau returned from hunting. Alas ! he 
knew not what had happened; he knew 
not the consequences of selling his birth- 
right. He brought the venison to Isaac, 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 25 

as if nothing had occurred, and said, 
" Let my father arise and eat of his son^s 
venison, that his soul may bless me.^' 
The old man was surprised. He asked, 
"Who art thou ?'\, "I am thy son,'' 
said Esau, " thy first-born, Esau.'' 

At these words, Isaac was filled with 
anguish. We read, that " he trembled, 
with a great trembling, greatly." He 
cried out, " Who ? — where is he that 
brought me venison ? for I ate of it be-* 
fore thou camest, and I have blessed 
him !" He knew the prediction could 
not be taken back, and added, " Yea, and 
he shall be blessed." 

Esau had no sooner heard this, than 
the whole truth rushed upon his soul. 
He cried, with a great and exceeding 
bitter cry: "Bless me, even me also, 
my father!" It was a most touching 
scene, but the aged father could only say: 
" Thy brother has come deceitfully, and 
has taken away thy blessing." 

Esau remembered what had passed, 
and said, " Is he not rightly named Sup- 
3 



26 



LIFE OP JACOB, 



planter (Jacob) ? For he has supplant- 
ed me twice : he took away my birthright, 
and behold, now he has taken away my 
blessing. Hast thou not a blessing left 
for me?^^ 

Isaac answered that he had declared 
Jacob to be the master of Esau, and the 
possessor of the fruits of the land. He 
knew not what to do for his distressed 
son. 

Esau cried out, "Hast thou but one 
blessing ? Bless me, even me also, my 
father!'^ And he wept aloud. Isaac 
was affected, and gave him a lesser bless- 
ing, thus: 




AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 



21 



THE BLESSING OP ESAU. 

Behold^ thy dwelling shall be the fat- 
ness of the earth, and of the dew of hea- 
ven from above. And by thy sword shall 
thou live, and shall serve thy brother. 
And it shall come to pass, when thou 
shall have the dominion, that thou shall 
break his yoke from off thy neck. 

This blessing also was verified hun- 
dreds of years afterwards. Esau had- 
been called Edom, or Red, from the red 




28 LIFE OF JACOB, 

pottage for which he sold his birthright. 
All his descendants were called Edom- 
lies. They lived between the Dead Sea 
and the eastern bay of the Red Sea, along 
the ridges of mount Seir, and the neigh- 
bouring valleys. Edom and his sons were 
rough and warlike; but Jacob and his 
sons were never subdued by them. 

Both the sons of Isaac had now re- 
ceived the best blessing he could give. 
Esau was of the wicked one, and hated 
his brother, from this time forward. He 
that hates his brother is a murderer in 
his heart. Beware, my reader, beware 
of anger, revenge, and hatred. These 
are the feelings which make murders so 
common. Esau knew that his father 
could not live much longer. But instead 
of being sorry, or repenting, he said to 
himself: "It will not be long before my 
father will be dead, and then I will kill 
my brother Jacob. '^ 

Dreadful words! My reader, pray to 
God to subdue your angry passions; you 
see to Avhat they lead. It was his bro- 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 29 

ther, his only brother, his txcin brother. 
Not only did he hate him, but he coolly 
planned to murder him! 

Rebekah was a tender mother, and 
when she heard of his threat she trem- 
bled for her darling Jacob. She sent for 
him, and told him how his life Avas in 
danger, and advised him to leave home, 
and go to the country from which she 
had come about ninety-seven years be- 
fore. For Rebekah came from Haran in 
Mesopotamia. She thought, that after a 
little absence, Esau's anger would cease; 
and she promised, in that case, to send 
for Jacob. "Why,'' said she, "should I 
be deprived also of you both in one day ?" 

Here we have Jacob about to be an 
exile. He is about to leave the beloved 
tents where he had passed his childhood, 
and hi^ aged parents, more beloved still. 
He is about to fly from an unnatural and 
ferocious brother, and to go alone, through 
unknown parts, on a journey of more 
than five hundred miles. For it was as 
far as this even in a straight line from 



30 LIFE OF JACOB, 

Beersheba to Haran. Yet, with all his 
faults, he had God for his friend. 

The aged Isaac calls his son, and gives 
him his parting advice. He tells him 
not to marry a woman of the Canaanites, 
but to go to Mesopotamia, and take a 
wife from his mother's family. And then 
he gave him a second blessing. 

THE SECOND BLESSING OF JACOB. 

God Almighty bless thee, And make, 
thee fruitful and multiply thee^ that 
thou may est he a multitude of jieople. 
And give thee the blessing of Abraham,^ 
to thee^ and to thy seed ivith thee. That 
thou m,ayest inherit the land of thy 
soJourningSy which God gave to Abra- 
ham. 

^ You perceive that this blessing is more 
extensive than the other. It promises 
Jacob a vast posterity; this has come to 
pass, all Israelites being his seed. It pro- 
mises him the land of Canaan; this also 
came to pass, when the children of Israel 
crossed over the Jordan. 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 



31 



Haraii was a place to the north and 
east of Beersheba. In order to reach it, 
Jacob will have to travel through part 
of Canaan, a land full of wicked idola- 
ters; then to cross the Jordan; then to 
go over the sandy deserts of upper Sy- 
ria; and then to cross the great Euphra- 
tes, into the mountains of Mesopotamia, 
or Padan-Aram. 

So Jacob 
set out frof-'i 
Beersheba, 
and went 
toward Ha- 
ran. The 
first stop- 
pmg place, 
that we 
know of, 
was Luz. It was probably situated north- 
east of Beersheba, but we do not know 
its exact situation. It was time for the 
weary traveller to rest, for the sun was 
set. He had neither tent nor bed, but 
lay on the bare ground, and he took of 




32 LIFE OF JACOB, 

the stones of that place, and put them 
for his pillow, and lay down to sleep. 
Hard pillows indeed! But we might all 
be willing to have such pillows, if we 
could spend such nights. It was one of 
the most memorable nights of his life. 

THE VISION OF THE LADDER. 

And Jacob dreamed, and behold, a lad- 
der, the bottom on the earth, and the top 
in heaven; and the angels of God were 
ascending and descending on it. But 
above it was an awful and majestic sight. 
It was Jehovah, revealing himself to the 
sleeping exile. God thus spake: 

I am the Lord God of Abraham, thy 
father, and the God of Isaac. I will 
give to thee and thy seed the land on 
which thou art now lying. And thy 
seed shall be as the dust of the earth. 
And thou shalt spread abroad to the west, 
and to the east, and to the north, and to 
the south. And in thee and in thy 

SEED SHALL ALL THE FAMILIES OF THE 
EARTH BE BLESSED. 



A 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 33 

And behold, I am with thee, and will 
keep thee in all places whither thou 
goest, and will bring thee again into this 
land. For I will not leave thee until I 
have done that which I have spoken to 
thee of. 

And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, 
deUghted and amazed, and said: "How 
dreadful is this place! This is none other 
than the house of God ! This is the gate 
of heaven ! '^ He named the place, House 
of God, in Hebrew, BETH-EL. 

If you consider this vision, you will 
see that the ladder, or flight of steps, 
signified to him that there was a com- 
munication between earth and heaven. 
We use a ladder to reach what is other- 
wise out of reach. It signified that holy 
angels minister to the heirs of salvation. 
j It signified the very court and presence 
I of God; so that he was full of awe, and 
felt himself before the Almighty Jehovah. 

If you consider this third blessing of 
Jacob, from God's own lips, you will see 
that it is what his father had called, "The 



34 LIFE OF JACOB, 

blessing of Abraham/' the very promise 
which had been made to Abraham. And 
it contained a promise of Christ, the seed^ 
in whom all nations are blessed. 

Jacob arose early the next morning, 
and took the stone which he had used as 
a pillow, and set it up for a pillar, and 
poured oil upon it. This was done in 
various cases, when either persons or 
things were set apart to God. Jacob 
meant it for a monument of God's fa- 
vour. Thus Abraham used to build al- 
tars. And he made a promise to God, 
which is called a vow. 

Jacob's vow at beth-el. 

If God Avill be with me, and will keep 
me in this way that I go, and will give 
me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, 
so that I come again in peace to my fa- 
ther's house : 

Then shall Jehovah be my God. And 
this stone which I have set for a pillar, 
shall be God's house, Beth-El; 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 35 

And of all that thou shalt give me, I 
will surely give the tenth unto thee. 

It seems to have been an early custom 
to give a tithej that is, a tenth of one's 
gains, to God. The law of Moses only 
repeated what had been usual before, 
perhaps from the beginning of the world. 
It would be well for every Christian, to 
consecrate at least a tenth of his income 
to the service of the Lord. 

So Jacob pursued his journey with a 
cheerful heart, for he knew that his fa- 
ther's God was with him. Many years 
after, we shall find him on the same 
spot. 



36 LIFE OP JACOB, 



CHAPTER III. 

' THE WELL OF HARAN. 

The well of Haran — Shepherds of Mesopotamia — Ar- 
rival of a traveller — Jacob sees Rachel — Entertained 
by Laban — Enters Laban's service — Seven years — 
Marriage of Jacob — Seven years more — Jacob's sons 
— Escapes from Laban — Another vision. 

A WELL of good water is a blessing 
for which we ought to thank God in any 
country. But a well of water in the East 
is invaluable. Those missionaries know 
its worth who have suffered burning 
thirst in a dry desert, where no cloud 
nor tree keeps off the scorching sun. In 
those lands the wells are often dug very 
deep, and walled in at great expense. 
And being sometimes far apart, they are 
of the greatest importance. It is no won- 
der that Abraham and Isaac were often 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 37 

in contests with their enemies about the 
wells. In desert countries, where the 
sands fly in clouds, a well would soon be 
filled up, if it were not covered. Hence 
they lay over them massy slabs of mar- 
ble or other rock, and open them only 
when water is to be drawn out. 

It is a lovely sight to behold a well of 
living water in a hot region. Around it, 
the herbage is green and fresh. Here 
the shepherds and shepherdesses assem- 
ble, with their goats and sheep. Here 
the camels, and asses, and kine meet, and 
are invigorated. And here perhaps are 
the pleasantest gatherings of friends and, 
neighbours. This is what we call a pas- 
toral scene. In every age it has been the 
delight of poets and of youth. 

Such a scene there was in the land of. 
the people of the East, now called Diar- 
bekr, in the Turkish empire, between the 
Tigris and the Euphrates. Here Bethuel 
and Laban had their abode. Here Re- 
bekah spent her youth. And here, on a 
certain day, a weary traveller came. He 
4 



38 LIFE OP JACOB, 

had travelled some hundreds of miles, a 
fugitive from his father's tents. 

He was weary of the desert : he look- 
ed, and behold, a well in the field, and 
lo, there were three flocks of sheep lying 
by it. For out of that well they watered 
the flocks; and a great stone was upon 
the welPs mouth. And thither all the 
flocks and shepherds were gathered, and 
they rolled the stone from the welFs 
mouth, and watered the sheep, and put 
the stone again upon the welPs mouth. 
Was it not a sight to bring tears of joy 
into the stranger's eyes ? 

He approached, and said, "My brethren, 
where do you dwell ?'' " We dwell in 
Haran," said they. It was the very spot 
the stranger was seeking ! " Do you 
know a man named Laban ?" said he. 
"We do," answered the shepherds. "Is 
he well ?'' They ansAvered; " He is, and 
here is his daughter Rachel just coming 
with her flock.'' And while they con- 
tinued to talk, the young shepherdess 
came to the well, leading her father's 



-AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 



39 



flock. In those days, and in that country, 
the daughters even of kings sometimes 
tended sheep. 

The manners of the East, in all ages, 
have been very simple. The stranger 
drew near, without an introduction. 
With that courtesy which arises from 
good-will, he removed the stone from the 
well, and watered the maiden's flock; and 




kissed her, and burst into tears. His heart 
was full, and he sobbed aloud. Rachel 
must have been astonished. " I am Ja- 
cob," said he. " I am your father's kins- 
man. I am the son of Rebekah, your 
aunt.'^ No sooner had she heard this, 



40 LIFE OF JACOB, 

than she ran and told her father. And 
Laban hastened out to welcome his ne- 
phew, the son of his beloved sister. He 
ran, he took him in his arms, he kissed 
him, he brought him to his dwelling; and 
when he had heard Jacob's story, he 
said, " Surely thou art bone of my bone, 
and flesh of my flesh.^' 

This was a pleasant change for the 
wandering Hebrew. He found himself 
received as a kinsman and friend, by his 
mother's brother, and became one of the 
family at once. After a month had passed, 
during which Jacob helped his relatives 
in taking care of their numerous flocks, 
he had become well acquainted with his 
two cousins, the daughters of Laban. 
The elder of these was Leah; the young- 
er was Rachel, who had met him at the 
well. Leah was plain in her appearance ; 
but Rachel Avas beautiful ; and Jacob 
loved Rachel. It Avas at the end of this 
month that Laban proposed to his ne- 
phew to take wages for tending the 
flocks. " Should you serve me for no- 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 41 

thing/^ said Laban, "because you are 
my brother ? tell me what your wages 
shall be.'' " I will serve you seven 
years," answered Jacob, "for your 
younger daughter, Rachel." Strange as 
' the offer may seem to us, it was agreea- 
ble to the customs of that age, and Laban 
professed to accept it. "It is better,'' 
said he, "to give her to you, than to 
another man; remain with me." 

Seven years now passed away, in 
which Jacob spent his time as a shep- 
herd, in the company of Rachel. Long 
as the period was, it seemed to him but 
a few days, for the love he had to her. 

At length the seven years of trial came 
to a close, and he hastened to demand of 
his uncle the accomplishment of his pro- 
mise. Laban seemed to consent, and 
made the usual preparations for the wed- 
ding. An entertainment was made ready. 
All the men of Haran were invited. But 
as Jacob had made his brother suffer by 
deceit, so he was now made to suffer by 
deceit himself. Providence often punishes 
4* 



42 LIFE OF JACOB^ 

men in such a way as to make them 
see that they fall by their own snares. 
When the marriage came to be accom- 
plished, Jacob fomid, that instead of Ra- 
chel, he had married Leah. When he 
found out the cheat which had been put 
upon him, he said to his father-in-law, 
" What is this thou hast done unto me ? 
did I not serve thee for Rachel ? Where- 
fore hast thou beguiled me ?" 

Laban made a poor excuse. He did 
not fear the poor Hebrew who was in 
his power. He pretended that it was the 
custom in that country for the elder sister 
always to be married before the younger. 
Even if it had been so, he ought to have 
informed Jacob of it long before. But 
he tried to smooth the matter over in this 
way. He declared, that as soon as the 
feast, which lasted a week, was ever, he 
would give Rachel also to Jacob, on con- 
dition, that he should be his shepherd for 
seven more years. Jacob agreed to this, 
and in doing so, fell into the great evil of 
having two wives. You will see the 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 43 

family troubles which flowed from this 
wrong step. Blessed be God, that in 
Christian times, marriage takes place 
between one man and one woman only. 

Seven years more now passed away, 
in which Jacob still passed his time as a 
shepherd. During this period he became 
the father of a family. Besides Leah and 
Rachel, he had in his household two wo- 
men named Bilhah and Zilpah. They 
were not exactly his lawful wives, nei- 
ther were they mere servants. But they 
may be called secondary wives. This is 
an evil thing, which it is best not to en- 
large upon at this time. In our day of 
gospel light, it is a sin not to know, that 
God's will is, for one husband to have 
one wife, and no more. See 1 Cor. vii. 2. 
Bilhah was the maid of Rachel, and Zil- 
pah was the maid of Leah. And from 
these four women descended all the child- 
ren of Israel. 

It is not strange that Jacob should love 
best the wife of his choice: he loved Ra- 
chel more than Leah. But, when the 



44 LIFE OF JACOB, 

Lord saw that Leah was hated, he made 
her the mother of children, while Rachel 
remained childless. 

The first four sons of Jacob were born 
of Leah. These were, Reuben, Simeon, 
Levi, and Judah. 

The fifth was the son of Bilhah. This 
was Dan. 

The sixth and seventh were the sons 
of Zilpah. These were Gad and Asher. 

The eighth and ninth were sons of 
Leah. These were Issachar and Zebu- 
Ion. And then Leah was made the mo- 
ther of a daughter. This was Dinah. 

All this time Rachel had no children. 
At length God heard her prayers, and 
gave her a son. This was Joseph. 

In this remarkable increase of Jacob's 
family, we see the promise fulfilled: God 
make thee fruitful, and multij)ly thee. 
You will read of one more son hereafter. 

The time had now come when Jacob 
longed to return to the land of his birth. 
He was fifty-four years of age. His fa- 
mily was large, and he had been hardly 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 45 

treated by his father-in-law. In conse- 
quence of his faithful service, and the 
remarkable blessing of God on him, he 
had been the means of greatly increasing 
Laban's wealth. And, trusting in God, 
he was willing to set out on this long and 
dangerous journey to Canaan, though he 
had received no wages, but his two wives, 
during fourteen years. He therefore said 
to Laban, " Dismiss me, that I may re- 
turn to my native land. Give me my 
wives and children, for whom I have 
served, and let me go. For thou know- 
est the service I have done thee.'^ 

Laban was unwilling to part with him, 
for he said, truly, " I have learned by 
experience, that Jehovah has blessed me 
for thy sake.'^ So he offered to give 
any wages that Jacob would ask. Jacob 
reminded him how useful he had been to 
him. " Thou kno west how I have served, 
and how thy cattle was with me. For 
thou hadst but a little before I came, and 
now it is a multitude.'^ And Jacob 



46 LIFE OF JACOB, 

added, that it was time for him to provide 
something for his own family. 

At length they agreed that Jacob should 
remain for a time, and should have part 
of the goats and sheep for his own. Ja- 
cob was to keep those of the flocks which 
were marked in a particular manner. 

Now Providence so ordered it, that as 
the flocks increased, a great part of them 
came into the world with the very marks 
Avhich made them Jacobus property. And 
he increased exceedingly, and had much 
cattle, and maid-servants, and men-ser- 
vants, and camels, and asses. This is the 
wealth of the nations of the East. In 
Arabia, and Syria, and Mesopotamia, 
they reckon a man's riches, not by his 
money, but by his flocks and herds. 
J Laban had sons, and when they saw 
their brother-in-laAV growing rich in this 
way, they were filled with envy. " Ja- 
cob," said they, "hath taken away all that 
was oar father's; and of that which was 
our father's, he has got the glory." Jacob 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 47 

heard of this. He also saw from Laban's 
manner that he was displeased. It was 
time for him to depart. But he did not 
go without God^s leave. The Lord came 
to give him counsel, and said, " Return 
unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy 
kindred, and I luill be luith thee.^^ He 
said also: "I am the God of Bethel, 
where thou anointedst the pillar, and 
where thou vowedst a vow unto me. 
Get thee from this land, and return unto 
the land of thy kindred.'^ 

You here perceive how worthy of re- 
membrance was the occurrence at Bethel. 
God himself calls himself the God of 
Bethelj and reminds Jacob of the promise 
and the vow. 



48 LIFE OF JACOB, 



CHAPTER IV. 

Eastern sheep-shearing — The Teraphim — Laban pur- 
sues Jacob — They meet in the mountains — Their 
discourse — ^The search for the idols — The treaty at 
Mizpah—Esau approaches — Message and gift to 
Esau — Prayer at Jabbok — Wrestles with an angel — 
Change of narae^ — Peaceable meeting with Esau — 
Encamp at Succoth. 

The part of Mesopotamia in which 
these events took place, was formerly 
called Happy Mesopotamia, to distin- 
guish it from the south-eastern wilder- 
nesses, which were called Desert Mesopo- 
tamia. It had hills, and vales, and rivers, 
and was a good land for flocks and herds. 
Where there are sheep by hundreds and 
thousands, it takes a great many men 
and much time and labour to attend to 
them. Particularly when the flocks were 
to be stripped of their fleeces, at the be- 
ginning of summer, the care of them oc- 
cupies the shepherds, and often, many 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 49 

days are spent in shearing them. The 
herds and fxocks of Laban were immense. 
Perhaps no reader of this has ever seen 
half as many animals together at one time. 
About the year 1739 before Christ, in 
the beginning of the warm season, they ' 
were all busy in sheep-shearing. Three 
days had passed in this way, when sud- 
denly news came to Laban, that his 
daughters and their husband were miss- 
ing. On making inquiry, he found that 
they had all gone away while he was 
thinking of other matters. They had 
taken away all their possessions, camels, 
and asses, and cows, and goats, and sheep, 
and tents, and furniture, and servants. 
And, besides this, Rachel had stolen her 
father's images. These were called Tera- 
phim, and were a sort of idols, used by 
the wretched heathen of that country. 
It was wrong for Laban to own these, 
but it was also wrong for Rachel to pur- 
loin them. She did it without her hus- 
band's knowledge, and they became an 
occasion of evil afterwards, as you will see. 
5 



50 



LIFE OF JACOB, 



Laban immediately set out to pursue the 
fugitives, taking his brethren or kinsmen 
along with him. In those countries ca- 
mels are the chief beasts of burden. The 
camel is large and strong, and is easily 
broken, so as to be as gentle as a dog. 
He goes many days without water, and 
carries great loads, and is not injured by 
the heat or sand of the desert. A com- 
pany of camels and travellers, with their 
tents, and cattle, and merchandise, is call- 
ed a caravan. Jacobus caravan was now 
three days in advance of Laban. The 
women and children were mounted on 
the camels, in panniers or saddles such 
as you see in this cut. 




AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 



51 



Laban knew very well that they would 
take a southerly course, and travel as 
fast as they could through the desert of 
Syria, towards the river Jordan. He, 



Bethel 


/' 


Mt. Zion 


J 


Hebron 




"^^W^ 


N 


::Si 


« Beersheba _y— ^ 


'^'jf^^K 



therefore, hastened in the same direction. 
And he could go almost twice as fast as 
Jacob's caravan, which was hindered by 
having women, and herds, and young 
animals. Hundreds of miles he had to 
travel before he overtook the caravan. 
At the end of seven days, Laban reached 
the chain of mountains which runs north 
and south, on the east of Palestine, and 
is called there mount Gilead. But before 



52 LIFE OF JACOB, 

he came up with them, God came to him 
in a dream, and commanded him not to 
say one word to Jacob to hinder his 
journey. 

Both Laban and Jacob pitched their 
tents among these mountains, which were 
afterwards inhabited by the half tribe of 
Manasseh. They had a meeting there. 
Laban accused Jacob, at once, of having 
gone away secretly, and carried away 
his daughters as if they had been slaves 
taken in battle. He pretended that if 
Jacob had let him know, he would have 
sent them away with honour, and to the 
sound of music. He complained that he 
had not even been allowed to give his 
children a farewell kiss ; and declared 
that he could have revenged himself on 
Jacob, if God had not forbidden it. But 
what troubled him most of all was, the 
loss of his miserable idols, which he called 
his gods, 

Jacob answered, that he had really 
been afraid to let Laban know of his in- 
tentions, lest he should have kept his 



AND HIS SCrS JOSEPH. 53 

wives by force. And as to the teraphim, 
he said: "If you find them with any of 
us, let the offender be put to death; search 
for your property, and take iV This 
seemed very reasonable, and Laban be- 
gan to search for the stolen goods. He 
went through the camp, from one tent to 
another. They were not in Leah's tent, 
nor in Bilhah's, nor in Zilpah's. And 
when he entered the tent of Rachel, he 
searched every part of it in vain, except 
the camePs furniture, or riding-saddle, 
which she used as a seat, and from which 
she did not arise. 

Laban was disappointed, and Jacob 
was angry. " In what am I to blame ?'' 
said Jacob warmly, " what is my sin, that 
you have so pursued me ? You haA^e 
searched all our goods, and what have 
you found of your property ? Set it here 
before your companions ; I will leave 
them to judge between us. I have lived 
twenty years with you, and have taken 
good care of your flocks. Where there 
Avas any thing stolen, I bore the loss. 



54 LIFE OF JACOB, 

You made me answer for it. I gave you 
the best, and kept the worst. I lost my 
rest in your service. I sujffered by day 
from the heat, and by night from the 
frost. So I have spent twenty years, be- 
ing your servant fourteen of them, for 
your two daughters; and the remainder 
for these flocks and herds. Ten times 
you changed my wages. And even now, 
I should have left you without any thing, 
if it were not for God, the God of my 
father, the God of Abraham, and the God 
whom Isaac feared. God has been with 
me. He saw my affliction, and rebuked 
thee last night.'' 

This was a forcible speech, and it 
reached the heart of Laban. At any rate 
it stopped his mouth. All that was in 
Jacob's caravan was his own; he had 
paid dearly for it. Laban now acknow- 
ledged that the women were his daugh- 
ters, and the boys and girls were his child- 
ren; and proposed to come to an agree- 
ment with his son-in-law. To this Jacob 
consented. 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 



55 



To mark the place, and to set up a pil- 
lar of stone on mount Gilead, Jacobus kins- 
men made a heap of stones, and they all 
ate there on the heap, in token of being 
friends again. The spot thus marked, 




was called by three names. Jacob and 
Laban named it The Witness-Heap^^ 
one in Chaldee, the other in Hebrew. It 
also went by the name of Watch Tower ^^ 
because Laban had said, Jehovah^ watch 
between me and thee. 

* In Chaldee, Jegarshhadufha: in Hebrew, Ga- 
leed or Gilead, 
f Mizpeh, 



LIFE OF JACOB, 

The covenant or agreement between 
the two men was this: Jacob engaged that 
he would be kind to Leah and Rachel, 
and that they should be his only jwives. 
And both of them agreed that the pillar 
and heap should be the limit between 
them. Neither should ever go beyond 
this to injure the other. And Jacob sware 
by the Lord, the fear of his father Isaac. 
He also sacrificed, and joined with his 
kinsman in a friendly meal. After pass- 
ing the night iu mount Gilead, Laban 
rose early in the morning, and kissed his 
daughters, and blessed them, and return- 
ed home to Haran. 

It was now twenty years since Jacob 
had fled from his revengeful brother. 
Yet, as he was drawing nearer and near- 
er to the country of Esau, he was natu- 
rally very anxious. He did not know 
whether the old grudge still remained or 
not. In these circumstances, it was an 
encouragement to Jacob to find that he 
was not forsaken by God. As he jour- 
neyed southward, on the eastern side of 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 



57 



Jordan, near the river Jabbok, he was 
met by a multitude of angels. In our 
day angels do not appear, but they were 
often sent to cheer the hearts of ancient 
believers. The spot where this memo- 
rable meeting occurred, was in the region 
afterwards allotted to the descendants of 
Gad, who was then a little boy in that 
caravan. When Jacob saw the angels, 
he immediately said, This is God^s army^ 
and he named the place Mahanaim, 
which means. The two armies. 




To the south of this place, was a coun- 
try filled with mountains. These moun- 
tains extend round the Dead Sea, into the 
region between Palestine and the Red 



58 LIFE OF JACOB, 

Sea. It is now called Stony Arabia. It 
was then the land of Edom or Esau. 
Mount Seir is a desolate chain of moun- 




tains, lying between the Dead Sea and 
the eastern bay of the Red Sea. Among 
these eminences Esau and his followers 
pursued their prey, and led a wild and 
warlike life. 

Though Jacob was many miles north 
of this region, he considered it prudent 
to send messengers before him, to Esau 
his brother, unto the laud of Seir, the 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 59 

country of Edom. They Avere to tell 
Esau, very respectfi^lly, of Jacob's com- 
ing, and of his family, and estate. In a 
short time the men came back, with the 
impleasant news, that Esau himself was 
on his way to meet his brother, with four 
hundred men. At this intelligence Ja- 
cob was greatly afraid and distressed; 
for as soon as he heard of the warriors 
who accompanied Esau, he dreaded the 
worst. In these troubles, Jacob neglected 
neither prayer nor effort. To pray with- 
out labour is presumption: to labour 
without prayer is ungodliness. What is 
now to be done, to turn away this bad 
man's anger, and to preserve the family ? 
The first step is to arrange the defence- 
less company. He divided it therefore 
into two parts, so that if the foremost 
were destroyed, the hindmost might 
chance to escape. Both the people and 
the cattle were thus divided. 

The next step was to pray to God, who 
had delivered him in previous trials. It 
is a touching prayer. 



60 LIFE Of JACOB, 

Jacob's prayer at jabbok. 

" God of my father Abraham, and God 
of my father Isaac, Jehovah, who saidst 
unto me. Return to thy country and thy 
kindred, and I will deal well with thee : 
I am not worthy of the least of the mer- 
cies and of the truth which thou hast 
showed unto thy servant: for, with my 
staff (alone) I passed over this Jordan, 
and now I am become two bands. De- 
liver me, I pray thee, from the hand of 
my brother, from the hand of Esau; for 
I fear him, lest he come and smite me, 
the mother with the children. And thou 
saidst, I will surely do thee good, and 
make thy seed as the sand of the sea, 
which cannot be numbered for multi- 
tude.'' 

Take notice here, that we are allowed 
to pray for deliverance from worldly trou- 
bles; and that we have a right to plead 
God's promises. 

The next step which Jacob took was, 
to get ready a present for Esau. A gift 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 61 

pacifieth anger, says the wise man, and 
a reward strong wrath. After the night 
had passed, therefore, Jacob arranged a 
herd of animals, to the number of five 
hundred and eighty. Two hundred and 
twenty goats, two hundred and twenty 
sheep, fifty neat cattle, thirty asses, and 
thirty she-camels, with their colts. The 
camels are of great value in the East, on 
account of their milk, which they give 
all the year long. 

The servants who conducted this drove 
were ordered to go forward. When they 
met Esau, and he asked what the drove 
was, they were directed to say, " They 
are thy servant Jacobus, sent to my lord 
Esau, for a present. And Jacob himself 
is coming on behind us.'^ In this way 
Jacob would learn whether Esau Avas 
willing to be reconciled; for, in the East, 
the acceptance of a present is a sign of 
friendship. The servants went on with 
the present, and Jacob passed another 
night with his caravan. But, before the 
night had been spent, there occurred one 
6 



62 LIFE OP JACOB, 

of the most remarkable events ever re- 
corded in any man^s life. It took place 
on the banks of the Jabbok, now called 
Zerka, a stream which rises in Mount 
Gilead, and flows through a deep valley 
into the Jordan. 

Over this little river he took the wo- 
men, and children, and property. And 
then he was left alone. What then took 
place is hard to explain, but we knoWj 
enough to instruct and amaze us. A mys 
terious being wrestled with Jacob untiJ 
daybreak. He is called a Man, and an.| 
Angel, and, indirectly, God. When this 
wonderful visiter found that he prevailed| 
not, he touched the hollow of Jacob's 
thigh, and put his thigh out of joint, as 
he wrestled with him. From this we 
learn to callprai/er a wrestling with God. 
The angel said, " Let me go, for the day 
breaketh.'^ Jacob said, " I will not let 
thee go except thou bless me.'' When 
we pray, we ought to be importunate : 
God loves such prayer. And the angel 
said, "What is thy name ?" He asked 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 63 

this, not from ignorance, but to introduce 
what follows : for, when the patriarch 
answered, ^-Jacob,'^ he said, "Thy name 
shall no more be called Jacob," a sup- 
planter ^ "but Israel," ^, prince of God ^ 
" for as a prince hast thou power with 
God, and with men, and hast prevailed." 
And Jacob said, " I pray thee tell me thy 
name." " Wherefore," replied he, " dost 
thou ask after my name ?" And he 
blessed Jacob there. 

We are very sure that this was some- 
thing more than a bodily contest, because 
the Holy Ghost says expressly, By his 
strength he had power with God; yea, 
he had power over the Angel, and pre- 
vailed ; he wept and made supplica- 
tion.^ All the strength which Jacob had 
in this contest came from him with whom 
he contended. And all the strength we 
have in prayer comes from him to whom 
we pray. For as the apostle Paul says: 
" We know not what we should pray for 

* Hos. xii. 3. 



64 



LIFE OP JACOB, 



as we ought, but the Spirit itself maketh 
intercession for us/^ 

We are also sure that this angel was 
God, because Jacob said, " I have seen 
God face to face, and my life is preserv- 
ed;'^ and hence he named the place Pe- 




niel, that is, God^s Face. It is also called 
Penuel. And thus you have the reason 
why the patriarch was called Israel 
This new title became the principal name 
of his posterity, and of the church. 

The Jews, in recollection of Jacob's 
wrestling and lameness, avoid eating cer- 
tain parts of the thigh of animals. 

Surely, Jacob's fear of Esau must be 
gone. He has prevailed with God, and 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 65 

God has met him face to face, and blessed 
him. When a man's ways please the 
Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be 
at peace with him.* He lifted up his 
eyes and looked, and behold, Esau came, 
and with him four hundred men. Jacob 
hastened to arrange his family so that 
Rachel and little Joseph might be furthest 
from danger, and the handmaids and their 
children in front. Then going before, he 
bowed himself to the ground, after the 
eastern manner, (as in the cut,) seven 
times, until he came near his brother. 




And Esau ran to meet him, and em- 
braced him, and fell on his neck and 
kissed him; and they wept. These were 
tears of joy and reconciliation. Esau 
first broke silence. Looking on the wo- 
* Prov. xvi. 7. 
6* 



66 LIFE OF JACOB, 

men and children, he asked, '' Who are 
these?'' Jacob said, "The children whom 
God hath graciously given thy servant.'' 
And then the whole family, in order, 
came and bowed themselves before Esau. 
He then asked what was intended by the 
large drove he had met, and Jacob ex- 
plained that it was a present. '* I have 
enough, my brother," said Esau, " keep 
what thou hast for thyself." Jacob, how- 
ever, urged him, until he consented to 
receive it. He even offered to lead the 
way, and accompany Jacob to the pro- 
mised land; but Jacob prudently declined 
the offer, as the tenderness of the flocks 
and of the children made it necessary for 
them to go very slowly. So Esau re- 
turned that day on his way home, and 
Jacob, full of joy, went forward towards 
the south-west. His last encampment 
east of the Jordan was near the river, 
almost due east of Samaria. At this 
spot he built a house, and made sheds or 
booths for his cattle. Therefore, the name 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 67 

of the place is Succoth, or booths. It af 
terwards fell to the lot of Gad, and was 
the place where the brass columns of the 
temple were cast. 



6S LIFE OF JACOB, 



CHAPTER V. 

Jacob crosses Jordan — Shechem — The altar — Murder 
of Shechemites — Jacob reminded of his vow — Revi- 
sits Bethel— Idolatry — Death of Deborah— The Oak 
of Tears — God again enters into covenant with Jacob 
— Drink-offerings — Bethlehem — Death of Rachel — 
Birth of Benjamin — Mamre — Catalogue of Jacob's 
sons. 

At length Jacob crossed the river, and 
entered the land of promise. To him, it 
was a well-known land, and he remem- 
bered the scenes of his youth, and his 
aged parents. To his family, it was a 
country as yet unknown, and strange. 
Many years before, he had passed this 
river, with nothing but his staff; now, 
he re-crossed it with a numerous family. 
Pursuing his course to the south-east, he 
came to the valley between mount Ebal 
and mount Gerizim. Here, about eight 
miles south of Samaria, there lived a man 
named Shechem, in or near the ancient 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 



69 



3 abbok 



S maria 
O 



■"fmf0'' 



'''iw^,tr^'^^ 



Shechem ^J^ 

Jacob's 
Well 




city of the same name, also called Sha- 
lim. This 37'oung prince, Shechem, was 
the son of Hamor, a chief among the 
Hirites, one of the six nations of Canaan. 
The valley is to this day a delightful spot. 
Beautiful gardens skirt the stream which 
waters it. A populous town is there 
situated, called Nablous. " As the tra- 
veller,'^ says Dr. CJarke, "descends to- 
wards it from the hills, it appears luxu- 
riantly imbosomed in the most delightful 
and fragrant bowers, half concealed by 
rich gardens and by stately trees collected 
into groves all around the bold and beau- 
tiful valley in which it stands." 



70 LIFE OF JACOB, 

In this lovely vale of Shechem, Jacob 
purchased a parcel of a field, where he 
had spread his tent. He paid Hamor's 
family a hundred pieces of money for 
this land. But he did not forget the 
mercy of God; he, therefore, erected an 
altar there, and called it El-elohe Israel j 
that is, Godj the God of Israel. It has 
been well said, " Where we have a tent^ 
God should have an altarP In those 
days there was no spot set apart for the 
exclusive worship of Jehovah, and the 
patriarchs built altars in many places. 

It is painful to see, as we proceed in 
our narrative, that afflictions increase. 
The severest trials of parents are usually 
those in which their children are con- 
cerned. Should not every child endea- 
vour then to live in such a way as to save 
his dear parents from griefs of this kind ? 
Jacob now begins to be afflicted in his 
children. He had but one daughter; and 
at this pleasant place of sojourning, she 
was seduced and humbled. Happy had 
it been for young Dinah, if she had re- 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 71 

mained in her mother's tent, and never 
gone out, " to see the daughters of the 
land/' Young women are in most safety 
when they are "keepers at home.'' 
Princes are often wicked men. Shechem 
betrayed Dinah, and then immediately 
proposed to marry her. Jacob waited till 
his sons came home before he gave any 
answer. When Dinah's brothers heard 
the lamentable story, they were enraged. 
They sought revenge. Pretending to 
agree to the proposal of the marriage, 
they persuaded the Shechemites to be 
circumcised. And then, most unexpect- 
edly, Simeon and Levi burst in upon the 
city, murdered all the male inhabitants, 
and took every thing else as their spoil. 
When Jacob heard of this wicked as- 
sault, he was much distressed, and said 
to the two brothers, who were ringlead- 
ers in the outrage: "Ye have troubled 
me, and made me odious to the inhabi- 
tants of the land, the Canaanites and 
Perizzites. And as we are few in num- 
ber, they will gather themselves together 



72 LIFE OF JACOB, 

against me, and slay me, and I and my 
house shall be destroyed.'' Even on his 
dying bed the old man remembered the 
transaction, and said: "Cursed be their 
anger, for it was fierce, and their wrath, 
for it was cruel."* 

We are not informed of the particular 
manner in which the patriarch and his 
sons spent the first few years of their 
residence in Canaan. He had a family 
growing up around him, in the midst of 
bad example, and the natural depravity 
of the human heart is such, that young 
people easily give way to temptation. 
Even pious parents often have impious 
children. Remember, youthful reader, 
the piety of your parents cannot save 
you. 

There were idols in Jacob's family. It j 
is impossible to say whether these were 
the false gods that Rachel stole, or images 
which they got from the Canaanites. In 
those days, even ornaments, such as 
ear-rings, were used as idols. Another 
* Gen. xlix. 5 — ^7. 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 73 

sin was, that Jacob had not hastened to 
fulfil the vow he had made many years 
before, at Bethel. You may recollect that 
he vowed thus: ^^If God will keep me 
so that I come again in peace, this stone 
shall be God^s hoiise?^ When you vow 
a vow unto God, defer not to pay it, for 
he has no pleasure in fools. Pay what 
you have vowed. It is better not to vow 
at all, than to vow and not pay.* Jacob 
had not yet visited Bethel. 

On a certain time, therefore, God re- 
minded him of his vow, and said; "Arise, 
go up to Bethel and dwell there; and 
make an altar unto God, that appeared 
unto thee when thou fleddest from the 
face of Esau, thy brother.^^ 

This warning reached his conscience. 
He considered his sins, and the sins of 
his family. He called to mind his chas- 
tisements. They were deserved. They 
ought to have led to amendment. 
I The sin of idolatry is atrocious. There 
jis no crime which God punishes with 
% * Eccl. V. 4. 

il 7 



74 LIFE OP JACOB, 

sorer wrath. Perhaps none of us con- 
sider often enough the wickedness of lov- 
ing or worshipping the creature more 
than the Creator. Among the ancients, 
the propensity to leave Jehovah and wor- 
ship idols, was strong. Even in Jacobus 
house there were some of these strange 
gods. 

Jacob called his family, and all who 
were with him, and said, "Put away 
the strange gods, that are among you, ' 
and be clean, and change your gar- 
ments.'^ Washing the body and the 
clothes, was a sign of inward purifica- 
tion. You will find it to be so in all an- 
cient nations, and especially among the 
Israelites. Yet, no outward Avashing can 
take away sin, however useful it may be 
as a sign or token. " Let us arise," 
added he, " and go up to Bethel, and I 
will there make an altar unto God, who 
answered me in the day of my distress, 
and was with me in the way which I . 
went.'' Yes, it was indeed a day of dis- 
tress when the poor, lonely exile lay 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 



75 



down on his stone pillow at Luz. How 
wonderfully God had brought him back ! 
The people immediately gave up all their 
images, together with the ear-rings which 
were in their ears. Jacob buried these 
in the earth under an oak, near She- 
chem; and then they set out on their 
journey further south. As they went 
along they 
passed 
through a 
populous 
country of 
wicked,war- 
like men, 
who might 
have de- 
stroyed eve- 
ry one of 
them with 
the utmost 
ease. But 
these Ca- 



Shechem 



Bethel 

• 



Jebus 
© 
Jerusalem 




naanites were "in great fear; for God is 

in the generation of the righteous."* A 

* Ps. xiv. 5. 



76 LIFE OF JACOB, 

dread was cast into their souls by the 
Lord, and the terror of God was upon 
the cities that were around them, so that 
they did not pursue Jacob's company. 
The travellers safely arrived at Bethel. 
And here Jacob built an altar, and thus 
fulfilled his vow that it should be God's 
house. He called the place El Bethel, 
or the God of Bethel, because God had 
appeared to him there, when he was 
flying from Esau. While they were at 
Bethel, they had another afliiction, in the 
death of Deborah, an aged woman. She 
was not a rich friend, but an humble do- 
mestic, the nurse of Rachel; yet she was 
beloved, and her death is recorded in 
God's holy book. Let this teach young 
people to be respectful to those who have 
watched over their infancy. And let it 
comfort those who are in humble sta- 
tions. Deborah was buried near Bethel, 
under an oak, and in after times the spot 
was called The Oak of Tears^^ from the 
sorrow of the family for this good wo- 
man. 

* Allon-hachutK 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 77 

It was not long after this, that God 
again appeared to Jacob, to confirm his 
promises, and renew the change of his 
name. He said, "I am God Almighty: 
be fruitful and multiply: a nation, and 
a company of nations shall be of thee, 
and kings shall descend from thee. And 
the land which I gave Abraham and 
Isaac, to thee will I give it, and to thy 
seed after thee will I give the land.^^ 

Whenever we read in after times of 
the immense population of Canaan, or 
whenever we see how the Jews were mul- 
tiplied, we should be reminded of God's 
gracious promise. The Israelites were 
more than a nation; every tribe was a 
nation ; Israel was a company of na- 
tions. 

After this blessed interview, God 
went up from the spot where the patri- 
arch was. The place was more memo- 
rable than ever; and Jacob marked it by 
a pillar of stone, which he moistened 
with oil, as before. He also poured 
upon it a drink-offerings the first men- 



78 



LIFE OP JACOB, 



tioned in history. This is what we should 
now call a liquid-offering, and under the 
law, the liquid always used Avas wine. 
A number of the rites enjoined by the 
Levitical law had been divinely appoint- 
ed ages before. Jacob renewed the name 
he had previously given to Luz, and call- 
ed it again "The House of God.^' 

From Bethel he set off, after some 
time, to journey towards Bethlehem. 
This place was then known by the name 
of Ephrath. Its greatest glory is that of 
being Christ's native place. It was also 
the native place of David. It is on a 
rising ground not quite six miles from Je- 
rusalem. On 
the way, Ja- 
cob metwith 
another sore 
affliction, at 
a place a lit- 
tle to the 
north-west 
of Ephrath. 
For here his beloved wife, Rachel, died, 




ii 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 79 

after giving birth to the last of his sons. 
As her soul was departing, she named 
the babe Benoni^ that is, "Son of my 
sorrow.^^ But Jacob called him Benja- 
miuj that is, "Son of my right hand.^' 
Jacob did not convey the corpse to the 
family burial place, but committed it to 
the earth near Bethlehem. He erected 
a pillar, as a monument over her grave. 
For ages this was known as RacheVs 
Pillar-^ and a tomb is even now pointed 
out as the same, thT)ugh it is judged by 
discreet travellers to be a modern work. 
It so happened that this spot afterwards 
fell within the tribe of Benjamin. 

The shepherds of the East seldom 
abide long in one spot. No one place 
can long afford pasture for their nume- 
rous flocks and herds. They are, there- 
fore, constantly removing their encamp- 
ments. It is natural to believe, that soon 
after Jacob entered Palestine, he went to 
visit his aged father, who was more than 
a century and a half old. 

After leaving Ephrath, Jacob encamp- 



80 



LIFE OF JACOB, 



ed at a place called the Tower of Edar, 
the site of which is not known. The only 
occurrence mentioned in the history of 
this period, is a grievous crime of his 
eldest son. After this we read of a visit 
of Jacob to Mamre, or Hebron, the old 
family residence of Abraham and Isaac. 




.O^f/' 






^//' 



• Beersheba 




Here Isaac dwelt, in a quiet old age. 
His life wjis lengthened beyond that 
of his father or his son: Abraham died 
at the age of a hundred and seventy-five, 
but Isaac lived a hundred and eighty 
years; and indeed, did not die until some 
time after the distressing events Ave are 
about to record of Joseph. Many years 
before, he had thought he was at the 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 



81 



point of death, and Esau seemed to think 
so too ; but, after so long a period, the 
old man is still living. Esau and Jacob 
were so far reconciled at the time of his 
decease, that they united in burying him. 
See how God restrains the wrath of man. 
This was the very point of time which 
Esau had fixed for murdering his bro- 
ther. 

In order to refresh the reader's memo- 
ry, the following table of Israels family 
is given. Here you will see who were 
his wives, and what children each wife 
had. 




Q DinahJ 



Twelve sons 

and 
one daughter. 



82 LIFE OF JACOB, 



CHAPTER VI. 

Jacob's favourite — The coat of many colours — Joseph's 
dreams — Joseph's journey to Shechem and Dothan — 
He is seized by his brothers — Cast into a pit — Sold 
to the Ishmaelites. 

It was very natural that Jacob should 
feel a partiality towards Joseph and Ben- 
jamin. They were not only the youngest 
of the family, but they were the children 
of the wife whom he chiefly loved. In 
particular, Joseph was beloved, as he 
was of an age to be his aged father's 
companion, while Benjamin was still an 
infant. All the other brothers were men 
J of mature age, and spent their time ac- 
tively as shepherds. Although Joseph 
was only a lad^ about seventeen years 
old, he joined them in feeding the flocks. 
Generally he kept company with Dan, 
Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. They were 
all bad men; and the youth saw their 



II 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 83 

evil conduct, and gave information to his 
father. It is Hkely he did this, not as a 
tale-bearer, but as a brother, whose duty 
f it is to reveal what is wrong, where there 
I is any hope of preventing it. 
I This would be the very thing to render 
I himself hateful to them ; for wicked 
[ young men always hate those who re- 
prove their vices. But there was an- 
other thing which made them look with 
great dislike on Joseph; this Avas Jacobus 
partiality for him. The other sons could 
not help seeing that their father loved 
their brother more than all his children. 
He had given Joseph a coat of various 
colours, perhaps of great splendour and 
beauty; at any rate it was meant for a 
great distinction, and showed what a fa- 
vourite he was. It is always unwise for 
I any father, or mother, or teacher, to ma- 
I nifest a marked partiality of this sort. It 
injures the very person whom it is in- 
] tended to favour. It raises env^ in those 
I who are slighted; and envy is a strong 
and cruel passion. " Wrath is cruelty, 



84 LIFE OP JACOB, 

and anger is an overflowing, but who is 
able to stand before envy?''* The envy 
or jealousy of these brothers was excited 
against Joseph, without any suflicient 
reason ; they hated him without a cause. 
They so hated him, that they could not 
speak a fair word to him, or give him a 
common salutation. 

Just in this way Jesus Christ was 
hated by the Jews and the wicked world. 
He " testified of them that their works 
were evil.'' Just in this way, good men 
are hated by sinners, even for their very 
goodness. 

But there was still another circum- 
stance which tended to increase this ha- 
tred. In that age of the world, God often 
revealed future events by means of 
dreams. We must not expect such reve- 
lations now. But this is no reason why 
we should doubt the truth of this or any 
account given in the Bible, which is our 
only revelation. God caused Joseph to 
have two dreams, which were very re- 

* Prov. xxvii. 4. 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 85 

markable. They signified that he was 
to be exalted over all the family, and that 
they were to be subject to him. Joseph 
was simple-hearted and frank, and ac- 
cordingly told both his dreams to his bro- 
thers. " Hear, I pray you/' said he, "this 
di-eam which I have dreamed.. For, be- 
hold, we were binding sheaves in the 
field, and lo, my sheaf arose, and also 
stood upright; and behold, your sheaves 
stood round about, and made obeisance, 
or. respectfully bowed, to my sheaf 

His brothers immediately saw what 
this might mean, and suspected him of 
.ambitious hopes. "What!'' said they, 
!" Shalt thou reign over us? Shalt thou 
have dominion over us?" Their pride 
and revenge were fired. They hated 
him more than ever they had done be- 
fore. 

The dream was of God. All that these 
bad men were able to do, could not pre- 
^rent its coming to pass. And the same 
jthing was revealed in another similar 
dream, which Joseph, in like manner, 
8 



86 LIFE OF JACOB, 

related to his jealous brothers, and his 
father. 

" Behold/^ said he, " I have dreamed 
a dream more; and behold, the sun, and 
the moon, and the eleven stars made 
obeisance to me.'^ 

This was plainer still. The exact 
number of his brothers was shown by 
the stars; and they bowed down to Jo- 
seph himself. The sun represented his 
father, and the moon his mother , as Leah 
was now called. Jacob was, perhaps, 
ignorant that the dreams were of God; 
or he wished to teach Joseph more cau- 
tion. Therefore, he asked, " What ! shall 
I, and thy mother, and thy brethren, in- 
deed come to bow down ourselves to 
thee, to the earth ?'^ The old man, how- 
ever, treasured it up in his mind, and no 
doubt often thought of it, when the whole 
of it came to pass exactly. 

While Jacob was dwelling in the val- 
ley of Hebron, in the south of the land, 
the ten sons were tending their flocks, 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 87 

about sixty miles to the northward, in 
the neighbourhood of Shechem, already 
mentioned. The old patriarch had been 
some time without any tidings of them, 
and became anxious for their welfare. 
This was the more natural, as they had 
gone to the very spot Avhere they had 
some years before engaged in such a 
massacre. He resolved, therefore, to send 
a messenger, and for this purpose he se- 
lected Joseph. " Come,^' said he, "and 
I will send thee unto them.^^ And Joseph 
said, " Here am I.'^ " Go, I pray thee,'' 
said his father, " see whether all is well 
with your brothers and their flocks, and 
bring me word again.'' It was a long, a 
dangerous journey, for a lad of seventeen. 
Joseph had to travel through a country 
of enemies, and to meet brothers who 
? hated him in their hearts. Yet he seems 
to have undertaken it with willingness 
and courage. 

He travelled as far as Shechem, and 
somewhere in that region he lost his way. 



88 



LIFE OF JACOB, 



A Stranger 
found him wan- 
dering through 
the country ^and 
asked him what 
he was looking 
for. Joseph an- 
swered, "I am 
seeking my bre- 
thren ; tell me, 
I pray thee, 
where they feed 
their flocks.^' 
The stranger 
told him that 
they had left 

Shechem, and had driven their flocks to 
Dothan. Joseph, therefore, proceeded to- 
wards Dothan, little expecting the treat- 
ment which he was there to receive. For 
as soon as he came in sight of his unna- 
tural brethren, they conspired to murder 
him. Even while he was yet at a dis- 
tance they began to lay their plans. " Be- 
hold, this dreamer cometh!" said they to 



DothSi **n 


< 


Shechem 

• 




•a 


Bethel 

• 




/ 


Bethlehem 

• 

Hebron V 

• 


& 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 89 

one another, as they saw him approach- 
ing in the hateful dress. " Come, now, 
let us kill him, and cast him into some 
pit; and we will say some wild beast has 
devoured him. Then we shall see what 
Avill become of his dreams.^' This was 
not altogether pleasing to Reuben, the 
eldest brother, who seems not to have 
been as cruel as the rest, though he was 
a wicked man. "Shed no blood,'^ said 
he, " but cast him into this pit that is in 
the wilderness, and lay no hand upon 
him.^^ It was Reuben^s design to get the 
youth'Out of the hands of these wretches, 
and restore him to his father. 

All this occurred before Joseph reached 
the place where they were talking. As 
soon as he came near, they seized him, 
stripped him of his coat of many colours, 
and threw him into a pit. All except 
Reuben intended perhaps to leave Jo- 
seph to perish of hunger and thirst. 

The situation of the unfortunate boy 
was dreadful indeed. In the anguish of 
his soul, he besought them to spare him, 



90 LIFE OF JACOB, 

but they would not hear.** Indeed, so 
unfeeling were they, that while Joseph 
lay in this dreary pit, they sat down to 
eat, as if nothing strange had happened. 
We here see that those whom God loves 
may sometimes be brought into great dif- 
ficulties. Several times in Jacob's his- 
tory we have found this to be the case, 
and we shall observe the same thing 
more than once in the history of Joseph. 
While the barbarous sons of Jacob were 
thus abandoning their brother to his fate, 
they beheld, at a distance, a company of 
Arabian traders, travelling in a caravan, in 
the way already described in this volume. 
These wandering merchants were the/ 
descendants of Abraham; some of them 
being of the posterity of Hagar, and 
some of Keturah. In this account, they 
are called Ishmaelites, and also Midian- 
ites. They dwell in the regions east and 
south-east of Palestine ; and, at that early 
age, had a trade with Egypt, whither 
they carried, on their camels, the rich 
* Gen. xlii. 21. 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 



91 




productions of Arabia, such as myrrh, 
bahn or balsam, a gum which flows from 
trees, frankincense, and other spices and 
perfumes. The company which now ap- 
peared, was on its way from mount Gilead 
to Egypt. It is possible that Judah had, by 
this time, begun to shrink from the bloody 
] plot of the others, and now when he saw 
these traders, it occurred to him that he 
might avoid the guilt of murder. He 
said, therefore, "What profit is it if we 
slay our brother and conceal his blood ? 
Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmael- 



92 LIFE OP JACOB, 

ites, and let not our hand be upon him ; 
for he is our brother and our flesh.'^ Reu- 
ben was absent at this time, but all the 
rest assented at once to the proposal of 
Judah. They immediately offered their 
innocent brother to these strangers as a 
slave, and sold him for the paltry sum of 
twenty pieces of silver. Joseph was 
drawn up out of the dry well or pit and 
put into the hands of the Midianites, who 
proceeded with him to Egypt. No one 
of the persons concerned had any idea 
of God^s Avise purpose in this transac- 
tion. Distressing as the event was to 
Joseph, it was intended by Providence 
to be the greatest blessing to himself, and 
his father, and his wicked brethren. God 
was now sending him before them to 
save them all from famine.* But this t 
does not lessen the guilt of these hard- I 
hearted men. Regardless of Joseph's I 
cries and tears, they had sold him as a ' 
slave; and for many years afterwards 

* Gen. xlv. 7. 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 93 

their consciences stung them for this 
enormity. 

After all this had taken place, Reuben 
returned, and went to the pit where Jo- 
seph had been left. When he saw that 
Joseph was not there, he was filled with 
grief. He rent his clothes, which, in the 
eastern countries, is a sign of great dis- 
tress or horror. He said to his brothers, 
"The child is no more! And I, whither 
shall I go !^' 

One difficulty had noAV been removed, 
but the cruel brothers had still another. 
They had disposed of Joseph, but what 
' should they say to their father ? They 
I knew that the lad was his darling, 
and that to hear of his death would al- 
most break his heart. Still they deter- 
mined to persuade their father that Jo- 
! seph was no more. They had retained 
the favourite coat of many colours. This 
, they took, and dipped it in the blood of 
1 a kid. And then, with matchless false- 
I hood and cruelty, they took this bloody 



94 LIFE OF JACOB, 




garment to their aged father, as if they 
had found it by chance, and said, " We 
have found this ; see if it is thy son's 
coat or no/' The terrified patriarch knew 
it in a moment. It was the very garment 
he had given Joseph as a distinction; and 
it had contributed to this sad event. " It 
is my son's coat!" cried he; "some evil 
beast has devoured him ! Joseph is, with- 
out doubt, torn in pieces!" And Jacob 
rent his clothes, and covered his body 
with sackcloth, and mourned for his son 
many days. And all his sons, and all his 
daughters, (or sons' wives,) endeavoured 



I 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 95 

to comfort him, but he refused to be com- 
forted, and said, "I will go down mourn- 
ing to my son to the grave/' Thus his 
father wept for him. 



96 LIFE OF JACOB, 



CHAPTER VII. 

Joseph is carried to Egypt — Account of Egypt — Sold 
as a slave — Honoured by Potiphar — Joseph's tempta- 
tion and escape — Cast into prison — Honoured in the 
prison — Pharaoh's butler and baker — Joseph inter- 
prets their dreams— The butler's promise. 

In the mean time the merchants to 
whom Joseph had been sold, carried him 
into Egypt. But, before we proceed with 
his history, it is necessary to give the 
reader some account of this interesting 
country. 

Egypt is in the north-eastern part of 
Africa, next to Arabia. It is a narrow 
strip of country lying along both sides 
of the famous river Nile. This river 
rises in unknown regions, and runs north- 
ward into the Mediterranean sea. It re- 
gularly overflows its banks, and enriches 
the lands on both sides by the rich loam 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 



97 



which its waters leave ; so that Egypt 
was celebrated as the most fruitful land 
of the ancient world. Even at present, 
it abounds in garden-plants, fruits, and 
grain. As rain is almost unknown, the 
river Nile is an unspeakable blessing to 
the Egyptians. 




Egypt was first settled by Mizraim, 
jthe second son of Ham. After this it 
ivas governed by princes of its own for 
iabout a century, when it was conquered 
by the Shepherds or Cushites from Asia. 
9 



98 LIFE OP JACOB, 

The kings of Egypt, for some ages, all 
took their name of Pharaoh; just as, at 
a later period, they all took the name of 
Ptolemy. The one who is mentioned in 
Abraham^s history, is supposed to have 
been one of the Shepherd-kings, The 
shepherds were driven out of the land 
by Amosis, after they had been in power 
about two centuries and a half ; and this 
event seems to have taken place a little 
before the entrance of Joseph. This was 
about 172S years before Christ.- 

The country into which the injured 
Hebrew was now carried, was greatly 
celebrated for population, riches, and 
learning. At one time it is said to have 
supported 7,500,000 persons. Such were 
its abundant crops, that it fed many other 
nations by its exports; and we find, that 
when the neighbouring countries were 
oppressed with famine, it was common 
to resort to the Egyptians for supplies. 
And long before Greek or Roman litera- 
ture had been heard of, Egypt was fa- 
mous for its wise men and its writings. I 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 99 

Its kings lived in great splendour and 
luxury ; and all classes of the people 
were given up to vile idolatry. They 
also believed in magic, and divination, 
and had innumerable superstitions. In- 
stead of burying or burning their dead, 
the Egyptians embalmed the corpses in 
such a way with spices and gums, that 
they would remain thousands of years. 
Bodies thus embalmed, are still found in 
! the caves of Egypt, and are called Mum- 
mies, (See cut on the following page.) 

Into this country, then, was Joseph 
brought in the caravan of the Midianites. 
I Little did the youth suppose, when he 
entered it as a slave, that he should one 
i day rule it as a prince. He was soon 
■ purchased by a great man of Egypt 
\ ^ named Potiphar. This man was one of 
Pharaoh^s officers, being either the com- 
mander of his guard, or the chief of his 
executioners, which last is by no means 
a dishonourable place in the East. For- 
saken as the young Hebrew seemed to 
; * be, an exile and a slave, he was not friend- 



100 



LIFE OP JACOB, 




AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 101 

less. The Scripture uses one expression 
concerning him, which every youthful 
reader would do well to remember: The 
Lord was with Joseph; and he became 
a prosperous man, and he was admitted 
to a place of comfort and respect in the 
house of the Egyptian. Every thing 
which was committed to his charge pros- 
pered, and he enjoyed the entire confi- 
dence of his master. Potiphar made him 
superintendent of all his concerns, and 
gave him charge of all his property. 
From this time, the affairs of Potiphar 
were remarkably prosperous, and the 
blessing of the Lord was upon all that" 
he was concerned in, both in the house 
and in the field. Thus it is, that God not 
, only blesses those who love him, but 

I often, for their sake, blesses those who 

I 

5 are about them. Who can tell how many 

divine favours have come down on a 
household by reason of one pious do- 
mestic. 
I In our greatest honour we often meet 
our greatest temptations. Joseph was 



102 LIFE OF JACOB, 

honoured to such a degree, that his mas- 
ter intrusted every thing to his hand, 
without taking any account. He was in 
a manner the master of the house. The 
wife of Potiphar was a wicked woman. 
She endeavoured, from day to day, to 
entice Joseph to commit a great offence 
against God and his master. But he re- 
fused, and said, "How can I do this great 
wickedness, and sin against God?^^ A 
good answer for every youth to make to 
every temptation. The base woman, dis- 
appointed and mortified, was at once filled 
with a spirit of revenge. When Joseph 
fled from her, as the only way of avoid- 
ing her temptation, she called the people 
of the house, and charged the young He- 
brew with having offered her a wicked 
insult, indeed, with having attempted the 
very crime which his pious soul had ab- 
horred. This was a sore trial to a virtu- 
ous youth. 

Nothing personal is dearer to any one 
than his good name, but the purest be- 
ings may be calumniated. It is so easy 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 103 

to destroy one^s reputation, that we ought 
to feel our continual dependence on God 
for our character, and render him hearty 
thanks for its preservation. And when 
we are falsely accused, as even our bless- 
ed Saviour was, let us commit ourselves 
to God, and rejoice in the witnCvSS of a 
good conscience. 

It was natural for Potiphar to believe 
his wife. He was enraged at the sup- 
posed ingratitude and vice of his servant. 
He took Joseph and cast him into prison, 
where the king's prisoners were confined. 
Here again we find Joseph in a very for- 
lorn and helpless situation. Yet he was 
not forsaken, /or the Lord was with Jo- 
seph ^ and showed him mercy, and made 
the keeper of the prison favourable to 
him. We do not find that Potiphar ever 
-inquired after him again. But even in a 
jail, honesty and fidelity will become con- 
spicuous. The jailer perceived the purity 
of Joseph's character, and accordingly 
gave him the charge of all the other pri- 
I soners. Thus he rose to eminence in the 



104 LIFE OP JACOB, 

prison, just as he had before done in the 
house of Potiphar. Let this encourage all 
young persons, however low their con- 
dition, or however misrepresented they 
may be, to maintain a constant upright- 
ness of conduct. Sooner or later, it will 
meet its reward. Joseph was in the con- 
dition of an orphan, of an exile, of a 
slave, of a convict; but the Lord was 
with him. The God of Abraham, and 
Isaac, and Jacob, remembered his cove- 
nant. In consequence of this, all the af- 
fairs of the prison were at his disposal, 
and they were all seen to prosper in a 
very remarkable manner. 

Among the prisoners who were under 
Joseph^s care, there were two who had 
been living in the palace of the king. 
One of these was Pharaoh's butler,, the 
other was his baker. The butler's busi- 
ness was to provide his master with such 
drinks as he loved, and the baker fur- 
nished his table with luxurious food ; it 
is likely he was not unlike the chief-cook 
of modern princes. Both these persons 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 105 

had offended Pharaoh, and were accord- 
ingly imprisoned, under the cafe of Poti- 
phar. They were, of course, put into the 
cfearge of Joseph, as he was the under 
keeper of the prison. It is probable they 
were both expecting a speedy death, 
which, in arbitrary governments, is in- 
flicted for very slight offences, and in 
very barbarous ways. Here I cannot 
refrain from calling on my young read- 
I ers to bless God that they live in a free 
» country. We have no tyrant over us, 
who can imprison or slay us without rea- 
I son. We cannot be punished without a 
I regular trial, in public, and the same 
rights are enjoyed by all, whether high 
(or low, rich or poor. 

After these two men had been some 
time under Joseph's care in the prison, 
he took notice, that on a certain morning, 
they both looked sad. His OAvn afflic- 
tions had taught him to sympathiz-e with 
I the distressed. Though he was their 
1 jailer, yet he felt for them, amd especially 



\ -' 



106 LIFE OF JACOB, 

as he know very well that innocent men 
might be imprisoned. He, therefore, kind- 
ly asked the cause of their despondency. 
"Wherefore look ye so sadly, to-day ?^^ 
They answered that they had each had 
a remarkable dream the night before, 
which troubled their minds. They seem 
to have had no doubt that these dreams 
had a meaning, but they could not tell 
what it was, and there was no one who 
could explain them. At our own day, 
we are not to expect revelations^ in 
dreams, but, in former ages, God often 
made known future events in . this man- 
ner. Joseph had himself been favoured 
with remarkable dreams, and this would 
be likely to make him listen with more 
attention to the account given by his pri- 
soners. He did not pretend to any wis- 
dom of his own, but piously directed 
their minds to the true God, saying, "Do 
not interpretations belong to God?'' 
And then he requested them to relate 
their dreams. 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 107 

THE CHIEF butler's DREAM. 

"Behold, in my dream/' said the but- 
ler, "a vine was before me, and in the 
vine was three branches; and it seemed 
to bud, and its blossoms shot forth, and 
its clusters bore ripe grapes. And Pha- 
raoh's cup was in my hand; and I took 
the grapes, and pressed them into Pha- 
raoh's cup, and I gave the cup into Pha- 
raoh's hand." 

As soon as Joseph heard the dream, 

! he knew, by divine inspiration, what it 

signified. He immediately explained to 

the butler, that the three branches meant 

I three days^ at the end of which period 

I the dream should be fulfilled. In three 

« days the butler should be restored to his 

former office, and should serve Pharaoh 

i as his cup-bearer. And then Joseph mo- 

I destly stated his own case, and sought 

j the friendly aid of the butler. He knew 

that this man would soon be in the court, 

i and would be able to represent his situa- 

! tion to the king. He did not accuse those 

who had injured him, but simply declared 



108 LIFE OF JACOB^ 

his own innocence. "Think on me/' 
said he, "when it shall be well with 
thee ; and show kindness, I pray thee, 
unto me, and make mention of me to 
Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house^' 
For, indeed, I was stolen away out of the 
land of the Hebrews; and here also have 
I done nothing that they should put me 
into this dungeon. '^ 

This was a very reasonable request. 
The butler, if he had possessed a grate- 
ful and generous heart, would have been 
quick in rendering this small kindness to 
one who had treated him well, sympa- 
thized with him in his sorrows, and re- 
lieved him by glad tidings. We shall see 
how it was in the event. When the other 
prisoner heard these things, he perhaps 
thought that the same good tidings were 
now coming to him; he, therefore, related 
his dream likewise. 



" I also was in my dream," said the 
baker, " and behold, I had three white 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 109 

baskets on my head. And in the upper- 
most basket there were all sorts of baked 
food for Pharaoh. And the birds did 
eat them out of the basket upon my 
head.'' 

Joseph, no doubt, sighed, when he 
heard this dream, for he knew its dis* 
tressing signification. But he was not 
at liberty to conceal the truth. He there- 
fore told the baker, that the three baskets 
meant three days; at the end of which, 
the dream should be fulfilled. For, in 
three days, Pharaoh would behead the 
baker, and hang up his corpse to be torn 
to pieces by birds of prey. 

The three days passed away. To one, 
they were days of pleasing expectation; 
to the other, of anguish and dread. At 
the close of them came Pharaoh's birth- 
day; a season which princes often cele- 
brate with great pomp. Pharaoh made 
a feast to his court, and to render the 
day more memorable, he restored the 
chief butler to his former honours, and 
caused the chief baker to be executed. 
10 



110 LIFE OF JACOB, 

Thus the dreams were accompHshed, and 
Joseph was proved to be under the gui- 
dance of heavenly wisdom. 

Joseph was as happy, we may natu- 
rally suppose, as any one can be in a 
prison. He was in an important office, 
and had freedom to go about within the 
Avails. And, better than all, he had peace 
of conscience, and divine instruction, for 
the Lord was with him. Still he was in 
bondage, and he sighed for freedom. 
Liberty is one of God^s most precious 
temporal gifts; and every day we should 
give thanks for our birth in the freest 
country on the globe. After the butler 
had left the prison, Joseph waited with 
great desire for the time Avhen some good 
news would come from the court. Sure- 
ly, he thought, it was time that the butler 
had 'made known his case to Pharaoh. 
Yet no 3uch good news arrived. Not- 
withstanding his earnest request, "the 
chief butler did not remember Joseph, 
but forgat him.'^ It has been truly said, 
we cannot expect too little from man, or 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. Ill 

too much from God. Though this un- 
grateful man forgat his benefactor, yet 
God remembered Joseph, and was pre- 
paring a way for his release. 



112 LIFE OF JACOB, 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Pharaoh s dreams — ^The butler's account of Joseph — 
Joseph is brought to court— Interprets the king's 
dreams — Counsels Pharaoh respecting the famine — 
Joseph is made governor of Egypt — His honours — 
Marriage — Provision for the famine — His two sons 
• — The seven years of plenty. 

Two whole years passed away, and 
Joseph saw no signs of being set free. 
But, about this time, Pharaoh had two 
very extraordinary dreams. 



The king dreamed that he stood on 
the banks of the great river Nile. Out 
of the river there came seven cows, which 
were fat and well-looking. After these, 
there came as many more, which were 
lean and ill-looking. And the lean ones 
devoured those which were fat and well- 
looking. 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 113 

The king also dreamed a second time, 
that seven ears of corn,'^ rank and good, 
sprang up; and after these, seven ears 
which were thin and blasted; and while 
he was looking, the seven thin ears de- 
voured the seven rank and full ears. 

In the morning, after these dreams, the 
king was much troubled in mind. He 
felt that these were more than common 
dreams, but who could explain them for 
him? There were indeed men in his 
court who made a business of predicting 
future events. Egypt was famous for 
magicians, who practised secret arts, and 
wise men who passed for prophets. But 
no one of these impostors could give the 
Idng any interpretation which satisfied 
his mind. 

The chief butler heard their consulta- 
tions, and thought this a fair opportunity 
to mention Joseph. It was a shameful 
neglect not to have done it before ; and 

* Not maize or Indian corn, but some smaller 
grain, such as wheat or rye; which, in Egypt, 
sometimes produces numerous ears on one stalk. 
10* 



114 LIFE OF JACOB, 

we are liot sure whether he had really 
forgotten him, or had been silent out of 
mere self-interest. He now spoke, how-? 
ever, and said to Pharaoh: "I do remem- 
ber my faults this day; Pharaoh was 
angry with his servants, and imprisoned 
me in the house of Potiphar, together 
with the chief baker. We both dreamed 
the same night, dreams which had inter- 
pretations. And there Avas with us a 
young Hebrew, Potiphar's servant, to 
whom we related our dreams. And he 
interpreted them to us; and the event was 
just as he said. The king restored me, 
and executed the chief baker." 

No sooner had Pharaoh heard this, 
than he perceived that this foreigner was 
just the man he wanted. He instantly 
sent to the prison for Joseph to come to 
the court in haste. The poor Hebrew 
slave was now found to be of some im- 
portance. Long had he remained in the 
gloomy prison, with no refuge or helper 
but the God of his fathers; but now, God 
was making a way for his honourable 



» 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 115 



liberation. No doubt he was mean and 
ragged, and his beard had grown during 
his imprisonment. As quickly as he 
could, he changed his clothes, and shaved 
himself, and proceeded to the king's pa- 
lace. This was a new scene for Joseph, 
and the change was the more striking as 
he had now been a slave for thirteen 
years. When he appeared in the palace, 
Pharaoh said to him, " I have dreamed 
a dream, and there is none that can inter- 
pret it, and I have heard say of thee, that 
thou canst understand a dream to inter- 
pret it.'' Joseph was desirous that the 
king should not think that he could inter- 
pret the dream of his own wisdom; he, 
therefore, humbly directed his mind to 
God, from whom he might look for a 
favourable interpretation. "It is not in 
me," said Joseph; "God shall give Pha- 
raoh an answer of peace." The king 
theii related his two dreams. As soon 
as Joseph heard them, he received from 

VGodthe knowledge of their signification. 

j He told the king that both the dreams 



116 LIFE OP JACOB, 

had the same meaning, and that, by 
them, God was showing him what he 
was about to do. The seven kine and 
the seven ears signified seven years. The 
good cattle and the good ears signified 
years of plenty. The poor cattle and 
the thin ears signified years of famine. 
This was what God was about to bring 
upon Egypt; first seven years of fruit- 
fulness, and then seven years of want. 
And, in these last years, the famine should 
be so great, that all the previous plenty 
should be forgotten. The dream was 
doubled to make the greater impression 
on the king's mind, and to show him that 
the purpose of God Avas fully established, 
and would shortly come to pass. 

This must have filled the mind of Pha- 
raoh with concern. Though the years 
of famine Avere far off*, yet it was his 
duty and interest to make some prepara- 
tion for them beforehand. Joseph loiew 
this, and after he had explained the 
dreams, he gave the following advica 
" Let Pharaoh look out a man discreet 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 117 

and wise, and set him over the land of 
Egypt ; and let him appoint officers, or 
inspectors, over the land, to receive the 
fifth part of all that is produced by the 
harvests of the seven fruitful years. And 
let him gather all the fruit of these good 
years, and lay up corn, and keep pro- 
vision in the cities. And the food thus 
stored away will be a supply for the 
seven years of famine, and will keep the 
inhabitants from starvation.'^ 

This was wise counsel, as the event 
proved. The fifth part of all the pro- 
duce was a large tax, but it was for the 
welfare of the people, and in years of 
such extraordinary plenty could be paid 
without difficulty. Pharaoh and his 
ministers approved of the plan. The 
pnly difficulty was to find a person fit to 
undertake so great a charge. Pharaoh 
said to his attendants, " Can we find such 
a one as this is, a man in whom the 
Spirit of God is ?'' And then, turning 
to Joseph, he added, "Since God has 
'i iihowed thee all this, there is no one so 



118 LIFE OP JACOB, 

discreet and wise as thou art. Thou 
shall be over my house ; all my people 
shall be governed agreeably to thy or- 
ders. Only in the throne will I be greater 
than thou. See, I have set thee over all 
the land of Egypt.'^ How marvellous 
are the ways of Providence! A young 
Hebrew slave is brought by a caravan to 
Egypt. He is bought by a great man, 
and on a false accusation imprisoned. He 
remains in jail a number of years. And 
then, all at once, after having been a 
slave thirteen years, he is made the vice- 
roy of the kingdom! No one but Pha- 
raoh is above him, and his power is 
almost absolute. Thus he is abundantly 
rewarded for having resisted temptation 
to sin, and finds it not in vain to wait on 
the Lord. 

Pharaoh then took off his ring, which 
was a symbol of authority, and put it 
upon the hand of Joseph. He also 
caused him to be clothed in fine linen, 
which was then exceedingly precious, and 
put a gold chain around his neck. He 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 



119 




also caused him to ride in the second cha- 
riot which he had ; and while Joseph 
passed along, the people saluted him by 
cries of, Boio the knee!^ Indeed, so ab- 
solute was the authority that Pharaoh 
proclaimed : " I am Pharaoh, and with- 
out thee shall no man lift up his hand or 
foot in all the land of Egypt. ^' He more- 
over gave Joseph the name of Zaphnath- 
Paaneahy which some interpret " the Re- 
vealer of secrets ;" and gave him for a 
wife Jisenath^ daughter of a priest or 
prince of On, called Poti-Pherah. 

^ * The original word has been variously ren- 
dered, but the greatest modem critics coincide in 
Ihis version 



120 



LIFE OP JACOB, 



AVhen Joseph appeared before Pharaoh 
he was thirty years of age. Being placed 
in so important a station, he immediately 
began his labours, by making a circuit 
through all the land of Egypt ; probably 
to build granaries, and appoint proper 
officers to receive the corn. As the years 
of plenty began at once, Joseph collected 
grain and other provisions in store houses 
throughout all the cities. The quantity 
was so great, that they found it useless 
to attempt any reckoning. This gather- 
ing continued during all the fruitful 
years. 

In the mean time, Asenath, his wife, 
had two sons. Joseph named the elder 
Manasseh^ or "Forgetting/' because, 
said he, " God hath made me forget all 
my toils and all my father's house.'' Not 
that he had lost all natural affection for 
his aged father, or even his cruel bre- 
thren ; but that his prosperity was such 
as to take away all painful longing after 
the scenes of his childhood. He named 
the second son Ephraim^ or " Fruitful ," 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 121 

oecause, said he, " God hath caused me 
to be fruitful in the land of my afflic- 
tion/' 

When we read of the wonderful plenty 
that prevailed in Egypt, it is necessary to 
recall what has already been hinted, re- 
specting the peculiarity of the soil and 
country. The harvests of this land were 
dependent on the great river Nile. The 
ground is watered and enriched from no 

i other source, as rain is almost unknown. 
When the Nile does not rise high enough, 

i the grounds are not fully overflowed ; 

, when it rises too high, the waters lie so 
long that the seed-time is lost. These 

i inundations were, no doubt, so directed 
by God, and so accompanied by other 
providential cares, that the plenty was 
(Unexampled. 

' But the seven years of plenty came to 
Ian end ; and then began a period of dis- 
tressing famine. The dearth was felt in 
|all the neighbouring countries ; and in 
'these there was no such provision as had 
been made in Egypt. Even the Egyp- 
11 



122 LIFE OF JACOB, 

tians began to fear starvation, and in 
their distress applied to the king, whose 
constant reply was, "Go to Joseph — 
what he says to you, do.^' The wisdom 
of erecting public granaries was now 
manifest, for the people had made no 
private provision during the plenteous 
years. The famine was grievous, and 
the land must have been stripped of its 
inhabitants if Joseph's counsel had not 
been followed. In these distresses he 
caused the storehouses to be opened, and 
sold food to the people. The news of 
these things reached other countries, and 
they sent into Egypt for a supply of their 
wants. Among others, the people of 
Canaan were in danger of perishing. 
When we read of such great national 
calamities, let us raise our hearts in 
thankfulness to God, who has cast our 
lot in a land of great plenty ; where, as 
yet, famine is a thing altogether un- 
known. 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 123 



CHAPTER IX. 

Jacob's age and sufferings — Famine in Canaan — Sends 
his ten sons to Egypt for corn — They appear before 
the governor — Are treated as spies — Are imprisoned 
— Their anguish and remorse — All are released ex- 
cept Simeon — Joseph demands Benjamin — The bro- 
thers find their money in their sacks — Return to 
Canaan. 

It is time that we should return to aged 
Jacob, whom we have not heard of for 
i twenty years. He was now nearly a hun- 
I dred and thirty years of age. Around him 
i were settled his ten sons and their fami- 
lies; and Benjamin, the child of his old 
age, was his darling. As for Joseph, he 
had long given him up as dead. 

Jacob had endured many afflictions. 
In addition to others, he now suffers the 
evil of want, for the famine was sore in 
all lands. We see that this particular 
trial was experienced by Abraham, Isaac, 
and Jacob ; to which Stephen refers 



124 LIFE OF JACOB, 

when he says, Acts vii. 11, there was 
" great affliction, and our fathers found 
no sustenance.'' The distress was so 
great that they seemed to lose all hope, 
and looked upon one another as men do 
who are utterly disheartened. The old 
patriarch had heard of the provisions 
collected in Egypt ; probably some of his 
neighbours had been there for supplies. 
He said, therefore, to his sons, '^ Why do 
ye look upon one another? Behold,! have 
heard that there is corn in Egypt : go 
down thither, and buy for us from thence, 
that we may live, and not die.'' 

The ten sons of Jacob assented, and 
set out on their journey. They took 
with them money to pay for the gr«,in, 
and asses to carry it. For this purpose 
a great number of beasts must have been 
necessary. Two sorts of sacks are men- 
tioned in the Hebrew narrative. One 
sort seems to have been large, resembling 
the woollen bags lined with leather which 
are still used in Asia. (Gen. xHi. 2S,) The 
other sort (ver. 27) was probably smaller, 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 125 

containing the provender of the beast 
which carried it. 

All went except Benjamin, but Jacob 
could not allow him to accompany his 
brothers: "Lest,'' said he, "peradven- 
ture, mischief befall him." Other people 
from the land of Canaan went down for 
the same purpose. When they arrived 
in Egypt, they found it necessary to ap- 
pear personally before the viceroy, or 
governor, as no corn could be sold with- 
out his order. These shepherds of Ca- 
naan were, therefore, introduced, and 
bowed themselves before Joseph. Now 
were fulfilled the dreams at which they 
were so much enraged twenty years be- 
fore. Joseph remembered these dreams, 
and knew his brothers, but they did not 
know him. Twenty years had greatly 
altered the lad of seventeen, whom they 
had sold, and the governor's palace was 
not the place where they could expect to 
rejoin him. It is a lovely trait in the 
character of Joseph, that when he had 
his brothers completely in his power, he 



126 LIFE OP JACOB, 

cherished no feelmg of revenge. Instead 
of harbouring spite, he looked upon them 
with affection and tenderness. Yet he 
determined to conceal these feehngs, and 
to treat them in such a way as might 
lead them to reflection and penitence. 
He, therefore, made himself strange to 
them, and addressed them roughly : 
"Whence come ye?'^ They answered, 
" From the land of Canaan, to buy food.^' 
Joseph said, "Ye are spies; to see the 
nakedness of the land are ye come;'' as 
if he had thought they were messengers 
belonging to different tribes, who had 
come to spy out some way of attacking 
Egypt during this great calamity. They 
declared that they were not so, but had 
come to buy food. And they added, that 
they were of one family, because it was 
very unlikely that a whole family should 
go from home as spies. Joseph still said, 
" Nay, but to see the nakedness of the 
land are ye come.'' In the confidence of 
truth they repeated their story. " Thy ser- 
vants are twelve brethren, the sons of one 



AND KIS SON JOSEPH. 127 

man in the land of Canaan; and behold 
the youngest is this day with his father, 
and one is not,^^ Little did they suspect 
that the one of whom they spake was now 
before them. And deeply must Joseph's 
heart have been touched at the account, 
and at this first notice that his beloved 
brother, Benjamin, had escaped, and was 
still alive. The ten brothers were now 
in distress in the very land to which they 
had sold their brother, and their hearts 
must have been filled Avith remorse. And 
Joseph saw before him the very men who 
had seized him, stripped him, planned his 
dfeath, thrown him into a pit, and, regard- 
less of his cries, sold him for a trifling sum 
to a party of strangers. He continued to 
accuse them. " This is Avhat I spake unto 
you, saying, ye are spies; hereby ye shall 
be proved. As surely as Pharaoh lives, ye 
shall not go hence unless your youngest 
brother come hither.'' He then ordered 
that one of them should return to bring 
Benjamin, and that the other nine should 
J i)e iinprisoned. Otherwise he Avould treat 



128 ' LIFE OF JACOB, 






them as spies. Accordingly he shut them 
up in prison for three days. During this 
time their suspense and anguish must 
have been great. At the end of the 
three days, Joseph changed his plan, 
perhaps out of pity to their father and 
their families, who might perish with 
hunger. He declared to them that he 
was a worshipper of the true God ; and 
ordered them to return, and bring that 
younger brother whom they had men- 
tioned. In this way he would know 
them to be honest and true men. Mean- 
while he would keep one of them a pri- 
soner, as a security for their return. It 
must be remembered that Joseph had as 
yet received no evidence that his brothers 
had ever repented of their sin ; and he. 
may have thought this a good means of i I 
awakening them. So it proved. Now, 
when they were in distress themselves, 
they remembered poor Joseph. They 
called to mind their inhuman treatment 
of him. After more than twenty years, 
conscience awoke in their breasts with 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 129 

amazing power. They were so torn with 
remorse that they could not conceal their 
feelings from one another, but spoke out, 
even in the presence of Joseph; though 
they did not suppose that he could un- 
derstand their conversation in the He- 
brew tongue. Thus it is, that when 
grievous distresses fall upon men, they 
remember their sins. Beloved reader, 
beware lest conscience rise against you 
in some hour of trial. Prevent this by 
a speedy repentance. " We are verily 
guilty,'^ said they, "concerning our bro- 
ther, in that we saw the anguish of his 
soul, when he besought us, and we would 
not hear; therefore is this distress come 
upon us.^^ To this Reuben replied, " Did 
I not say to you. Do not sin against the 
child; and ye would not hear? There- 
fore, behold his blood is required.'' 

When Joseph heard these things he 

^was moved to tears, so that he had to 

jleave the place that he might weep. 

After he had become again composed, he 

i^lBturned and talked with them, by means 



130 • LIFE OP JACOB, 

of an interpreter. He then took Simeon, 
and bound him before their eiyes. He 
ordered, however, that their sacks should 
be filled with corn, and that they should 
have provision for the journey. 

With heavy hearts the nine brothers 
set out on their return to Canaan. They 
had procured food, it is true, but they 
had left one of their number, ancl they 
could not expect his release until they 
brought their younger brother. After 
travelling a while, they found it neces- 
sary to stop at what is called an inn. 
At that day there were no inns or taverns 
properly so called; the word means mere- 
ly a stopping place. In those deserts we 
are told that travellers generally try to 
reach some spring or rivulet. Here they 
fill their leathern bottles, and allow the 
beasts to browse upon the Uttle herbage 
which may be around the place. In 
later times it was common to erect, at 
such places, an enclosure of four walls 
without a roof, which was called a cava- 
van-serai. When they reached the stop- 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 131 

ping place, they opened their provision 
sacks to feed the asses; but what was 
the astonishment of the one who first did 
so, to find in the mouth of his sack all 
the money which he had paid for the 
corn. The others afterwards found also 
their money in their sacks.* The man 
vwho first made the discovery exclaimed, 
• "My money is restored! See, it is even 
in my sack!^^ 

They had been treated in so strange a 
.' way that they were noAV ready to be 
alarmed at every new occurrence. Their 
i hearts failed them, and they were afraid, 
J and said to one another, " What is this 
^that God hath done to us ?'^ They con- 
tinued their journey, and reached their 
I home. Here they related to their father 
3i the surprising occurrences of their expe- 
i dition. " The man,'^ said they, " who is 
ijlord of the land, spoke roughly to us, and 

j * Compare Gen. xlii. 27,with xliii. 21, and it will 
I toe evident, contrary to the judgment of some learn- 
' fed men, that all the brothers found their money at 
j tiie halting place. ^ 



132 LIFE OF JACOB, 

took US for spies of the country. And 
we said to him, ' We are true men, we 
are no spies: we are of a family of twelve, 
all sons of one father; one is no more, 
and the youngest is this day with his 
father in the land of Canaan/ And the 
man, the lord of the country, said unto 
us, ^ Hereby shall I know you to be true 
men; leave here one of your brothers 
with me, and take food for your house- 
holds, and depart; and bring yoiu' young- 
est brother unto me. Then shall I know 
that you are no spies, but true men. I 
will then release your brother unto you, 
and you may trade in Egypt.' '^ And 
then, on opening their packages, every 
man's bundle of money appeared in his 
sack, to the great alarm both of their 
father and themselves. But the chief 
distress of the aged father arose from the 
demand of his youngest son. So tender 
had he been of his darling that he would 
not allow him to go with his brothers 
after corn. And now he is sent for by 
this harsh and mysterious lord of Egypt, 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 133 

and unless he is sent, no more corn can 
be procured. The old man burst out 
into complaints: "Me have ye bereaved 
of my children ! Joseph is not, and Si- 
meon is not, and ye will take Benjamin 
away ! All these things are against me.^' 
We are so blind that we often consider 
as misfortunes the most useful events of 
our lives. All these things were for 
Jacob and his whole posterity, though he 
thought they were all against him. 

Reuben answered his father, " Slay my 
two sons, if I bring him not to thee: de- 
liver him to my care, and I will bring 
him to thee again.'' "No," said the 
distressed father, " my son shall not go 
^down with you; for his brother is dead, 
and he is left alone: if mischief befall 
him in the way, you will bring down my 
gray hairs with sorrow to the grave." 

The whole scene is most touching. 
The old patriarch, filled with grief and 
fear — remembering the fate of Joseph — 
perhaps half surmising the truth con- 
cerning it — trembling on account of Si- 
12 



134 LIFE OP JACOB, 

meon — and clinging to his beloved Ben- 
jamin, lest he also be removed. The 
speechless brethren, on the other side, 
conscious of their former guilt — and al- 
together unable to account for many- 
things in their late adventure. Reuben 
alone venturing to plead with his father, 
and offering his own children as a pledge 
of Benjamin^s safety. All these circum- 
stances form a picture not often equalled 
in history. 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 135 



CHAPTER X. 

Famine in Canaan — Jacob is persuaded to send Benja- 
min — The ten brothers revisit Egypt — Entertained 
by Joseph — Set out on their way home — Overtaken 
by a messenger — Accused of stealing the governor's 
cup — Are brought back. 

The famine continued without any 
mitigation; and the provision Avhich had 
been brought from Egypt came to an end. 
The second year of famine was now near 
its close, and the distress was of course 
increasing. As long as the supply lasted, 
Jacob probably remained firm in his 
purpose not to let Benjamin go. But the 
prospect of death makes men willing to 
run great risks, and make great sacrifices. 
It is not unlikely that many around them 
had already perished with hunger, and 
they began to be themselves alarmed 
with the prospect of starvation. There 
As no death more dreadful than this, and 



136 LIFE OF JACOB, 

the aged patriarch was overcome. He 
said to his sons, " Go again, buy us a 
Uttle food.^' Judah repHed, "The man 
did most solemnly protest unto us, saying. 
Ye shall not see my face vnless your 
brother be with you. If thou wilt send 
our brother with us, we will go down 
and buy thee food ; but if thou wilt not 
send him, we will not go down/' And 
Israel said, "Wherefore dealt ye so ill 
with me as to tell the man that you had 
another brother ?'' They answered, " The 
man questioned us closely about our cir- 
cumstances, and our family. He said. 
Is your father yet alive? Have you 
another brother? We answered him 
accordingly. And how could we know 
that he would say. Bring your brother 
down,^^ 

Finding their father still very reluctant 
to comply with the only condition, Judah 
made an offer to bear the whole respon- 
sibiUty : " Send the young man with me,'' 
said he, "and we will arise and go; that 
we may live and not die, both we and 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 137 

thou, and also our little ones. I will be 
surety for him. Of my hand thou shalt 
require him. If I do not bring him back, 
let me bear the blame for ever. For if 
we had not lingered in the way, we 
might have been twice to Egypt before 
this time.^' Both in this and on ano- 
ther occasion, Judah shows great power 
of natural eloquence; and he prevailed 
over the timorous heart of his father. 
Jacob seemed to consent, but he desires 
to take every precaution against an un- 
favourable reception. He directs them 
to go, but to take with them double mo- 
ney; both the price for more corn, and 
that which had been returned in their 
sacks. He also directs them to take a 
present of the more precious productions 
of Canaan. For though the necessaries 
of life were exhausted, they still had 
some of its luxuries. But nature cannot 
be supported with drugs and aromatics, 
however rich. Last of all, Jacob, with 
a heavy heart, directed them to take 
Benjamin. "Take also your brother,'^ 
12^ 



138 LIFE OF JACOB, 

said he, ^-' and arise, go again to the man 
And God Almighty give you mercy be- 
fore the man, that he may send away 
your other brother and Benjamin. If I 
be bereaved of my children, I am be- 
reaved/' That is, "If God's will is that 
I lose them both — ^his will be done!" 

It is to be borne in mind, that although 
Benjamin, as the youngest, is called, af- 
ter the Hebrew manner, the lad^ or the 
young man, he was at this time not much 
less than thirty years of age, and had a 
family of his own. Still he was as much 
as ever the prop of his father's old age. 

The ten brothers set out on their se- 
cond expedition to Egypt. Jacob's part- 
ing with Benjamin was no doubt very 
tender. The company carried with them 
some of the choicest fruits of- the land. 
Among these were the following. •/?/- 
monds; which groAV in greater perfection 
in Canaan than in any other land. Ho- 
ney ; which so much abounded there, 
that Palestine was called a land of milk 
and honey. Nuts; probably pistachio 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 139 

nuts, which are of an oblong-angular 
shape, with an oily and, savoury kernel. 
These were abundant in Canaan, but 
rare in Egypt. Myrrh; a costly gum, 
greatly used as a perfume in the east. It 
was also employed in Egypt in embalm- 
ing. Balm^ or balsam ; a resin which 
exudes from the balsam tree. It flou- 
rished in Canaan, especially in Gilead, 
whence it was called halm of Gilead. 
The value set upon it as a medicine 
caused it to be constantly imported into 
Egypt by the caravans of the Ishmaelites. 
Spices; by which, are meant other aro- 
matic substances, whether gums or barks, 
such as stacte, galbanum, frankincense, 
calamus, cinnamon, cassia, and cane. 
From the earliest ages, presents of this 
kind were used as introductions to great 
men. And it shows that in the worst 
times men commonly have some mercies, 
when we see such things as these still 
left to Israel and his house. 

They journeyed on, and in due time 
came to Egypt, and gained admittance to 



140 LIFE OF JACOB^ 



'^S^m 



the governor. As soon as Joseph saw that 
his own brother Benjamin was with them, 
he gave directions to his steward to make 
ready an entertainment, and invite the 
Hebrews to dine with him at noon. But 
when these plain shepherds were brought 
into the viceroy's palace, they were filled 
with fear. This seemed to them to be 
another unaccountable step in the strange 
treatment they had received. In their 
dread, they began to suspect that the 
money in their sacks had been put there 
in order to fabricate against them a charge 
of dishonesty, and that they were about 
to be made slaves. Therefore, before 
venturing into the great man's house, 
they took aside his steward, at the en- 
trance, and related to him the fact re- 
specting the money; adding that they 
had now brought it back; and declaring 
that they did not know who had put it 
into their sacks. In fact, it had been 
done by Joseph's own orders. The 
steward quieted their minds by saying 
that he had received what was right, and 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 141 

that this money was a gift from the God 
of their fathers. He also released to them 
Simeon. He then brought them into the 
house, and, after the manner of the Ori- 
entals, gave them water to wash their 
feet. This is peculiarly needful in those 
^ countries where sandals are worn, as 
these do not so cover the feet as to ex- 
clude dust and sand. He provided for 
their beasts, and in the mean time they 
were getting ready their present, for the 
governor had not yet arrived. 

The hour of dinner was twelve o'clock, 
and at this time the governor came. The 
visiters immediately presented their gifts, 
and bowed theiifiselves before him to the 
earth. The dreams of Joseph are fulfil- 
ling more and more. After saluting 
them, the governor asked, '' Is your fa- 
ther well, the old man of whom you 
spoke ? Is he yet alive ?" Probably he 
feared lest his aged parent was no more. 
They answered, " Thy servant our father 
is in good health, he is yet alive." And 
then they bowed themselves again, and 



142 LIFE OF JACOB, 

made obeisance. Joseph was chiefly 
interested in gazing on his own brother, 
Benjamin, the son of his departed mother 
Rachel. They had not met since they 
were children, Benjamin being an infant 
when his brother was stolen. Looking 
at Benjamin, he said, "Is this your 
younger brother, of whom you spake to 
me ? — God be gracious unto thee, my 
son!'' 

Joseph's heart was full. The recol- 
lections of past years, of his childhood, 
of his father, of his dear mother, of the 
little brother now grown to manhood, all 
came upon him and unmanned him. He 
hastened to his chamber, and wept there. 
When he had in some measure composed 
himself, he washed his face, returned, 
and commanded the dinner to be served. 

There was between the Egyptians and 
the Hebrews a sort of antipathy, so that 
they did not eat together. The Hebrews 
w^ere shepherds, and the Egyptians had 
been conquered by certain shepherd 
kings, as has been said above. The 



I 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 143 

Hebrew shepherds offered in sacrifice, 
and even ate those animals which the 
Egyptians worshipped. For these and 
.other reasons there was Uttle intercourse 
of a social kind between the Egyptians 
and other people. And Joseph thought 
it expedient to maintain that distance 
which his subjects would expect from 
him. The servants provided food for 
Joseph by himself, and for his brothers 
by themselves; because the Egyptians 
might not eat bread with the Hebrews, 
for that is an abomination unto the Egyp- 
tians. To the great surprise of the ele- 
ven brothers, they were served with food 
exactly in the order of their respective 
ages. They must have suspected the 
governor to have some power of divina- 
tion. Agreeably to the custom of the 
I times and country, the portion of Benja- 
min was five times as great as that of 
any other. And thus they ate and were 
j exhilarated. 
' When the entertainment was over, the 



144 LIFE OF JACOB, 

governor took his steward aside, and gavie 
him particular directions concerning the 
eleven Hebrews who were now about to 
return. Agreeably to these directions, 
they were furnished with as much pro- 
vision as their beasts could carry; and as 
soon as the morning of the next day 
began to dawn, they left the capital of 
Egypt to return to Canaan. 

They had not proceeded a great way 
on their journey, before they found that 
they were pursued. The steward of the 
governor soon overtook them, and threw 
them into the utmost consternation by 
his words. The fact was this; they had 
scarcely set out before Joseph called his 
steward, and ordered him to follow these 
men; giving him directions as to what 
he should say to them. The steward, ac- 
cordingly, addressed them with a serious 
charge, accusing them of having stolen 
the governor's silver cup. " Wherefore,'' 
said he, " have ye rewarded evil for 
good ? Is not this the cup from which 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 145 

my lord drinks? and by which he divines? 
Ye have done evil in so doing.''* 

The brothers were alarmed, but they 
had the witness of a good conscience. 
They knew that they were altogether in- 
nocent of the crime alleged, and in this 
confidence they made an offer to the 
steward, which might be considered rash. 
Even if one of them had stolen the cup, 
this could be no good reason for the 
punishment of the rest. In conscious 
honesty they replied : " Wherefore saith 
my lord these words? God forbid that thy 
servants should do such a thing! Mark, 
that we returned the money which we 
formerly found in our sacks; how then 
can we be suspected of having stolen 
^^ilver or gold out of thy master's house? 
But if the cup is found with any one of 
us, let him die, and let the rest of us be 
slaves to my lord." 

* It woald be tedious and unprofitable to give 
I all the explanations attempted of this. The hea- 
thens pretended to divine by cnps; but it is not 
certain that this is the idea here. The original 
j word is sometimes used for diligent inquiry. 
13 



146 LIFE OP JACOB, 

The steward assented to a part of this, 
but rejected the harsh proposal. He said: 
" Now let it be as you h^ave said. He, 
with whom the cup is found, shall be my 
servant; and the rest of you shall be 
blameless.^^ 

In great haste they then took every 
sack and laid it on the ground. Every 
man opened his sack, and the steward 
proceeded to search them, beginning with 
Reuben's, and going according to their 
respective ages. No cup appeared in 
any of them, until he came to the last, 
and there it lay hidden in the sack of 
Benjamin. 




AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 147 



CHAPTER XL 

The brothers are arraigned before Joseph — Judah's de- 
fence — Joseph reveals himself — Pharaoh allows Jo- 
seph to send for his father — Jacob hears the wonder- 
ful tidings — The family leave Canaan for Egypt — 
God appears to Jacob at Beersheba. 

It would be vain to attempt any de- 
scription of their feelings. They were 
struck dumb with horror. All their 
plans were frustrated. They rent their 
clothes, in token of their anguish, laded 
their asses, and sorrowfully turned 
towards the city. Joseph was still at his 

I house, and they were taken again into 
his presence, where they fell before him 
on the ground. He addressed them 
sternly: " What deed is this that ye have 
done? Know ye not that such a man as 
I can certainly divine? (or make sure 

' trial?) '^ To this Judah, who was the 



148 



LIFE OF JACOB, 



principal speaker, made the following 
eloquent reply; for tenderness, simplicity, 
and strength, there is no oration of anti- 
quity which surpasses it. Judah seemed 
to think they would all be enslaved, but 
even if this Avere not the case, as he had 
become surety to his father for the safe 
return of Benjamin, he could not endure 
the thought of going back without him. 
His speech would suffer by any material 
alteration of the language. He spake as 
follows: 




^' 0, my lord, let thy servant, I pray 
thee, speak a word in my lord^s ears, and 
let not thine anger burn against thy ser- 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 149 

vant; for thou art even as Pharaoh. My 
lord asked his servants, saying. Have ye 
a father^ or a brother? And we said 
unto my lord. We have a father^ an old 
man^ and a child of his old age, a little 
one;^ and his brother is dead, and he 
alone is left of his mother, and his father 
loveth him. And thou saidst unto thy 
servants, Bring him down unto me, that 
I may set Tnine eyes upon him. And 
we said unto my lord. The young man 
cannot leave his father, for if he should 
leave his father, his father would die. 
And thou saidst unto thy servants, Ex- 
cept your youngest brother come down 
with you, ye shall see my face no m.ore. 
And it came to pass, when we came up 
unto thy servant, my father, we told him 
\ the words of my lord. And our father 
said. Go again, and buy us a little food. 
And we said. We cannot go down. If 
our youngest brother be with us, then 
will we go dozen. For we m.ay not see 

* That is, in Hebrew style, the youngest one, or 
the darling, 

13* 



150 LIFE OF JACOB, 






the maii^sfacey unless our youngest bro* 
ther be with us. And thy servant, my 
father, said unto us, Ye know that my 
wife Rachel bare fne two sons, Jind one 
of them icent out from me^ and I said^ 
* Surely he is torn in pieces;^ and I have 
not seen him since. And if ye take from 
me this son also^ and mischief befall him, 
ye loill bring down my gray hairs with 
sorrow to the grave. Now, therefore, 
(continued Judah) when I come to my 
father, and the young man is not with 
us, (seeing that his Ufe is bound up in the 
young man^s hfe,) when he sees that Ben- 
jamin is not with us, he will die, and we 
shall bring down the gray hairs of our 
father with sorroAV to the grave. For I 
became surety for the young man unto 
my father, saying. If I return him not 
to thecy then I will bear the blame to my 
father for ever. Now, therefore, I pray 
thee, let me remain instead of the young 
man, as a bond-man to my lord, and let 
him return with his brothers. For howjf 
can I go up to my father without our* 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 151 

youngest brother? lest I see the evil 
which shall come upon my father/^ 

No one can fail to honour the respect 
and affection which Judah here exhibits 
for his aged parent, and, also, the noble- 
ness of his offer to ransom Benjamin 
with his own person. Joseph was deeply 
moved, and when Judah had spoken thus 
far, his emotions became too great for 
concealment. He is no longer able to re- 
frain himself ; he orders all his attendants 
to withdraw; he is left alone with his 
eleven brothers ; he bursts into loud 
weeping. With a bursting heart he ex- 
claims, " I AM Joseph. Doth my father 
yet live?^' 

The brothers were overpowered. They 
were speechless. Fear, remorse, and 
amazement, made it impossible to answer. 
While the sobs and cries of Joseph were 
heard by the Egyptians and the courtiers 
of Pharaoh. " Come near to me,'^ said 
he, "I pray you.'^ His brethren ap- 
proached. '• / am Joseph, your brother, 
whom ye sold into Egypt. Now, there- 



152 LIFE OF JACOB, 

fore, be not grieved, nor angry with your- 
selves (that is, beyond measure) on 
account of your having sold me hither. 
God sent me before you to preserve life. 
For these two years there has been famine 
in the land, and there are yet five years, 
in which there shall be neither plowing* 
nor harvest. And God sent me before 
you, that you might have a posterity, 
and to save your lives by a great deliver- 
ance. For, now, it was not you that sent 
me hither, but God; and he hath made 
me a father (or counsellor) to Pharaoh, 
and lord of all his house, and ruler of all 
Egypt. Haste ye, go up to my father, 
and say to him, ' Thus saith thy son Jo- 
seph, God hath made me lord of all 
Egypt; com.e down to me^ tarry not; 
and thou shalt dwell in the land of Go- 
shen, and thou shalt be near unto me, 
thou^ and thy children^ and thy child- 
ren^s childi^en, and thy flocks and thy 
herds^ and all that thou hast; and there 

* For this is the meaning of the old English 
word, earing. 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 153 

/ will support thee^ {for there are Jive 
years of famine yet to coirie^) lest thou^ 
and thy household, and all that thou 
hast, come to poverty.'* And behold 
your eyes see, and the eyes of my bro- 
ther Benjamin, that it is my mouth that 
speaketh unto you. And ye shall tell 
my father of all my glory in Egypt, and 
of all that ye have seen; and ye shall 
haste and bring down my father hither." 
And when he had thus spoken, he fell 
upon his brother Benjamin's neck, and 
wept, and Benjamin wept upon his 
neck. Moreover, he kissed all his bre- 
thren, and wept upon them, and after 
that his brethren talked with him. 

It is likely that when Joseph revealed 
-himself, his elder brethren found in some 
of his features the lineaments of the 
youth whom they had sold. Besides, he 
spoke to them now in the Hebrew tongue, 
and none but himself knew of the crime 
they had committed. All doubt as to the 
i truth of his statement was, therefore, 
taken away. 



154 LIFE OF JACOB, 

The occurrence was too extraordinarj 
and affecting to remain long a secret;! 
The news spread, and soon reached the 
palace of the king, where all were highly 
gratified. Pharaoh, himself, approved 
Joseph's plan respecting his father, and 
encouraged him to send for the aged pa- 
triarch and all his family and connex- 
ions. He further promised that when 
they all arrived in Egypt they should 
enjoy the richest productions of the earth. 
He went so far as to say, that they need 
not be careful about bringing all their 
household effects, as he would make up 
to them all that they abandoned. All 
this was in consequence of the honour 
in which Joseph was held by the king. 

Joseph, accordingly, furnished wagons 
or carriages to bring their numerous re- 
latives and such of their goods as they 
chose; together with provisions for their 
journey. To each of his brethren he 
gave a change of raiment, or two full 
suits; but to Benjamin he gave five 
changes of raiment, and three hundred 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 155 

pieces of silver. He sent^ likewise, a spe- 
cial present to his honoured father; ten 
asses laden with the good things of 
Egypt, and ten she asses laden with corn, 
and bread, and other food for the jour- 
ney. And when his brothers set out, he 
l particularly charged them, " See that ye 
. fall not out by the way.'^ He, probably, 
saw that they were in danger of conten- 
tion, as to the part which each of them 
had taken in their former crime ; or about 
making it known to their father. 

The brothers hastened to return to their 

anxious father, and had a successful 

journey. They told him the good news: 

i' Joseph is yet alive^ and he is governor 

V^over all the land of Egypt !'^ Who shall 

! (undertake to describe the feelings of Ja- 

I Icob? He was overwhelmed with tidings 

I so amazing, so joyful. His heart fainted 

I within him. It was too good to be true, 

I and he could not believe them. After 

i twenty-two years of lamentation for his 

^ slain son — how can he credit the news 

\ that he is alive — and a mighty prince ! 



156 LIFE OF JACOB, 



II 



The sons of Israel then went on to 
give him the particulars. They doubtless 
informed him, as they had been directed 
to do, of Joseph's glory in Egypt. That 
he was second to the king only; that he 
rode in the second chariot of state; that 
he was the most honoured counsellor of 
Egypt; that he Avas reverenced by all 
the nation; that he lived in wealth and 
splendour; and that both he and Pharaoh 
invited Jacob to go down and end his 
days in Egypt. At length, when the in- 
credulous old patriarch saw the wagons 
which his son had sent to convey him, 
he yielded to the delightful truth. " It is 
enough!'' said he, "Joseph my son is 
yet alive. I will go down and see him 
before I die." 

Well might he have exclaimed. This 
my son was dead and is ahve again; he 
was lost and is found ! 

Jacob collected all his family, and all 
the goods which they chose to carry, and 
began his journey. Their way led them 
by Beersheba, at the southern extremity 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 157 

of Palestine. At this place, it will be 
remembered by the reader, God had ap- 
peared to him, almost a hundred years 
before, and had said to him. Fear not, 
for I am with thee, and will bless thee, 
and multiply thy seed for my servant 
Mraham^s sake. Here, also, he had 
built an altar and worshipped. It was 
the same spot on which God had former- 
ly appeared to his fathers, Abraham and 
i Isaac* The pious heart of Jacob did 
( not allow him to pass the memorable 
place. Prayer hinders no journey: and 
what is begun without prayer is likely 
, to end without profit. He stopped, there- 
I fore, at Beersheba, and offered sacrifices 
I to the God of his father Isaac. In the 
visions of the night God once more ap- 
peared to him, and said, Jacob, Jacob ! 
and he said, "Here am I.'' And the 
Lord said, " I am God, the God of thy 
father ; fear not to go down into Egypt ; 
for I will there make of thee a great na- 
tion. I will go down with thee into 
* Gen. xxi. 33, and xxvi. 23. 
14 



158 LIFE OP JACOB, 

Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee 
up again. And Joseph shall put his 
hand upon thine eyes.^' 

These promises were all fulfilled. Ja- 
cob died in Egypt, and Joseph closed his 
eyes when he expired. But his remains 
were brought back into Canaan. His, 
descendants there became indeed a great s 
nation, amounting to near a million, and 
they were delivered from that bondage 
into which they fell. With the hope of 
these blessings, Jacob arose encouraged. 
His sons conveyed him, and their wives, 
and their children in the wagons which 
Pharaoh had sent. And they took their 
cattle, and all the goods which they had 
got in the land of Canaan, and came 
into Egypt, Jacob and all his seed with 
him; "his sons, and his sons' sons with 
him, his daughters, and his sons' daugh- 
ters, and all his seed brought he with 
him into Egypt. Let us look back a 
moment at the increase of his family, ac- 
cording to the promise of God. When 
he first left Canaan, he crossed the Jor- 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 159 

dan, with his staff, a single man. When 
he came back again, he had eleven sons 
and one daughter; for we know nothing 
about any grand-children. When he now 
leaves Canaan for the last time in his 
life, he has a family of seventy.* 

* This is not the place to explain the difficulty 
respecting the enumeration. It is discussed in all 
the commentaries. 



160 LIFE OF JACOB, 



CHAPTER XII. 



H 



The land of Goshen — Meeting of Jacob and Joseph — 
Pharaoh assigns them a residence — Jacob appears at 
court — Severity of the famine — ^Joseph's wisdom and 
fidelity — Jacob's last days — Dying words — Blesses 
his sons and grandsons — His death — Prediction of 
Shiloh. 

Before Jacob's entrance into a strange 
country, he sent before him his son Ju- 
dah, to remove every difficulty from their 
passage into the district allotted to them. 
This district was called the land of Go- 
shen. It is hard to say where it was. 
As nearly as we can judge, it was north 
of Pelusium, south-west of the desert of 
Shur. It was part of the land of Rame- 
ses, in the north-eastern portion of Egypt. 
This was not overflowed by the Nile, 
but for shepherds it was the best of the 
land. 

As soon as Joseph learned — perhaps 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 161 

from Judah — that his father was entering 
the land of Goshen, he ordered his cha- 
riot, and hastened to meet him. He 
presented himself to Israel, and fell upon 
his neck, and wept over him a good 
while. It was almost too much joy for 
the feeble old man. He exclaimed in 
transport, " Now let me die, since I have 

, seen thy face, because thou art yet alive !'^ 
Thus in later times, aged Simeon, when 
he took the infant Jesus in his arms, said, 
'• Lord, now lettest thou thy servant de- 
part in peace, according to thy word ; 
for mine eyes have seen thy salvation.'' 

^ Joseph took pains to instruct his bro- 
thers' how they should act in the king's 

^ presence, and then informed Pharaoh of 
their arrival. It was important that they 
should be settled together, in a district 

i separa,te from the people of the land, and 
where they could pursue to advantage 
their labours as shepherds. Such a re- 

j gion was the land of Goshen, which they 
arrived at before they saw the capital or 
the court. In order to secure this bene- 
14- 



H 



162 LIFE OF JACOB, 



fit, Joseph advised his brothers to make 
at once a frank statement of the fact that 
they were shepherds. And as shepherds 
were abhorred by the Egyptians, the 
people would be unwilling to be near 
them; and thus, with the utmost fairness, 
they would gain their separate abode. 
They succeeded in all this, as we shall 
see. 

Joseph took five of his brothers and 
introduced them to the king. " What is 
your occupation ?^^ said Pharaoh. They 
answered, " Thy servants are shepherds, 
both we and also our fathers. We have 
come to live in the country, for we have 
no pasture for our flocks, in consequence 
of the distressing famine. Now, therefore, 
we pray thee, let thy servants dwell in 
the land of Goshen.'^ On hearing this, 
Pharaoh turned to Joseph and said, "Thy 
father and thy brethren are come unto 
thee. The land of Egypt is before thee. 
Let them dwell in the land of Goshen. 
And if any of them are men of activity, 
make them rulers over my cattle.'^ In 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 163 

this way a pleasant and retired abode 
was secured to Israel and his sons. 

It was now suitable that the patriarch 
himself should be introduced to the king. 
Joseph accordingly presented him. The 
venerable man no doubt tottered with 
age, and was adorned with gray hairs. 
When he entered, he pronounced a so- 
lemn benediction on the king. Pharaoh 
then said to him, " How old art thou V^ 
Jacob answered, " The days of the years 
of my pilgrimage are a hundred and 
thirty years. Few and evil have been 
the days of the years of my life, and have 
not attained unto the days of the years 
of the life of my fathers in the days of 
their pilgrimage.^' 

Jacob calls himself a pilgrim, and his 
life a pilgrimage. A pilgrim is one who 
wanders in a foreign land. We are all 
pilgrims here below ; and especially those 
who fear God, have no home in this 
world, but seek one to come. Aged as 
Jacob was, he was not as old as his fa- 
ther and grand-father were, at the times of 



164 LIFE OF JACOB, 

their death. Abraham Uved a hundred 
and seventy-five years, and Isaac a hun- 
dred and eighty. Jacob again blessed 
Pharaoh, and withdrew from his pre- 
sence. 

By authority of Pharaoh, Joseph then 
settled his father and all the family in 
Rameses, which was the best of the land. 
He also furnished food to each of their 
households, because the famine continued 
with increasing horrors. 

Indeed, so great was the dearth, that 
the supply of food among the people en- 
tirely failed. Both Canaan and Egypt 
fainted by reason of the famine. The 
only provision in all the country was that 
which Joseph had collected in store- 
houses. This had been laid up at the 
' expense of the king, some of it, perhaps, 
purchased with his money during the 
years of plenty; it was, therefore, Pha- 
raoh's property. Joseph did not give it 
to the people, but sold it, as long as they 
had any money to pay. When they had 
spent all their money, they offered their 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 165 

cattle. It was as benevolent as just for 
Joseph to take these, as they must have 
perished for want of food, if they had 
remained with their owners. All this 
served only for one year. At the close of 
this year, they came to him again, de- 
claring that they were ready to perish, 
that both their money, and their flocks 
and herds, were gone, and off'ering their 
lands and their own persons. " Where- 
! fore,'' said they, "shall we die before 
' thine eyes, both we and our land ! Buy 
I us and our land for bread, and we and 
} our land will be servants unto Pharaoh." 
i Accordingly, every man in Egypt sold 
I his land to the king, and the whole soil 
i became Pharaoh's, with the exception^ 
of that which was appropriated to the 
I priests. It appears that they received a 
j -gratuitous support from the king. Jo- 
1 seph then provided the people with habi- 
1 tations in the cities where corn was 
! stored. He gave them also seed to sow 
the land. We may understand the na- 
ture of the claim which the king hence- 



166 LIFE OF JACOB, sl 

forth made to the land by what follows. 
Although the people had sold both their, 
bodies and their lands, they were not 
treated as mere slaves, working the soil 
of others. All that was required was a 
regular tribute of one-fifth. This con- 
tinued in force until the time of Moses. 

In all this transaction, Joseph acted as 
a faithful servant of his king, and a wise 
provider for a perishing people. The 
kingdom and the stores were not his, but 
Pharaoh's. In all that he did, he was 
repaid by the people as the saviour of 
their lives. And the inspired record con- 
tains no censure of his conduct. 

The length of time which Jacob spent 
in Egypt was seventeen years, a long 
period for one already so old. It appears 
to have rolled by in peace and comfort. 
He was, in Goshen, a favoured part of 
the land, surrounded by a groAving fami- 
ly. But the longest life must have an 
end, and the time drew near that he 
must die. Sensible of approaching dis- 
solution, he became anxious that his re- 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 167 

mains should be taken to his native 
country, which he regarded as the type 
, of the rest that remaineth to the people 
I of God in the heavenly Canaan. He, 
therefore, sent for Joseph, and caused 
him to engage in the most solemn man- 
ner to fulfil this wish. " Bury me not,'^ 
said he, " I pray thee, in Egypt, but I 
will lie with my fathers, and thou shalt 
carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in 
their burying-place.^^ And Joseph an- 
swered, " I will do as thou hast said.^^ 
And Jacob said, " Swear unto me,'' and 
he sware unto him. And Israel bowed 
( himself upon the bed's head, probably in 
j solemn worship.* The whole transac- 
< tion shows his implicit faith in God's 
promise, that his descendants should one 
day return to their own land. 

Soon after this the patriarch was seized 

with more alarming illness, and a mes- 

„ senger was despatched for Joseph. When 

j Joseph went to see his father, he took 

with him his two sons, that they might 

* Heb. xi. 21. 



168 LIFE OF JACOB, 

receive the dying words of their grand- 
father. Some of the attendants told Ja- 
cob, " Behold thy son Joseph is come to 
see thee/^ And the old man strength- 
ened himvself, and sat up in the bed, and 
said, " God Almighty appeared unto me 
at Luz, in the land of Canaan, and blessed 
me, and said unto me, / will make thee 
fruitful and multiply thee^ and I will 
make of thee a multitude of people^ and 
will give this land to thy seed after thee^ 
for an everlasting possession. And, 
now, thy two sons, Ephraim and Ma- 
nasseh, which were born to thee in the 
land of Egypt, are mine: as Reuben and 
Simeon, they shall be mine. And thy 
other descendants shall be thine, and 
shall be called after the name of their 
brethren, in their inheritance. When I 
came from Padan, Rachel died by me in 
the land of Canaan, in the way, near to 
Ephrath, and I buried her in the way of 
Ephrath, which is the same as Bethle- 
hem.'^ It is touching to observe the at- 
tachment of Jacob to his beloved Rachel. 



AND HIS SON fOSEPH. 169 

She was the wife of his choice. For 
her sake he toiled and suffered. When 
she died he was deeply grieved. For 
her sake he loved Joseph and Benjamin. 
And now, at the age of a hundred and 
forty-seven years, in the agonies of death, 
he loves her still, and mentions her with 
his failing lips. 

The patriarch now observed his two 
grand-sons, and said, "Who are these ?^^ 
"They are my sons,'' said Joseph, 
"whom God hath given me in this 
place." "Bring them unto me, I pray 
thee," said the patriarch, "and I will 
bless them." 

In consequence of his great age, Jacob 
was almost blind: and Joseph brought 
the boys very near to his bed. Jacob 
kissed and embraced them: "I had not 
expected," said he to Joseph, "to see 
even thy face, and lo, God hath showed 
me, also, thy offspring." Joseph then 
presented the two youths, in order that 
their grand-father might lay his hands 
on them and bless them. He wished Ja- 
15 



170 LIFE OF JACOB, 

cob's right hand to be laid on the elder, 
and his left hand on the younger. So 
Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his 
own right hand, towards Israel's left 
hand, and Manasseh in his left hand, 
towards Israel's right hand, and brought 
them near to the patriarch's bed. But 
Israel, being under divine inspiration, 
knew that the younger should have the 
chief blessing. He, therefore, crossed 
his hands, and laid his right hand on the 
head of Ephraim, the younger, and his 
left hand on the head of Manasseh, the 
elder. And, first, he blessed their father, 
and said: 

" God, before whom my fathers, Abra- 
ham and Isaac, did walk, the God which 
fed me all my life long unto this day, the 
angel which redeemed me from all evil, 
bless the lads. And let my name be 
named on them, and the name of my fa- 
thers, Abraham and Isaac. And let them 
grow into a multitude in the midst of the 
earth.'' 

But when Joseph saw the manner in 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 171 

which his father had placed his hands, 
he was disturbed, and supposing it to be 
a mistake, he took his father\s right hand, 
in order to remove it from the younger 
to the elder. "Not so, my father," said 
he, "for this is the first-born; put thy 
right hand upon his head.'^ Israel, how- 
ever, was better informed than his son. 
"I knoAV it, my son," said he, "I know 
it; Manasseh, also, shall become a peo- 
ple, and he, also, shall be great ; but, truly, 
his younger brother shall be greater than 
he, and his seed shall become a multitude 
of nations." And he proceeded further 
to bless them: " In thee shall Israel bless, 
saying, God make thee as Ephraim and 
as Manasseh,^^ Thus, he gave Ephraim 
the preference before Manasseh. He 
also said to Joseph, " Behold, I die ; but 
God shall be Avith you, and bring you 
again unto the land of your fathers." 

After this he caused all his twelve sons 
to be assembled, and pronounced a re- 
markable prophecy, together with bless- 
ings; naming them all in order. This is 



172 LIFE OF JACOB, 

a very difficult part of Scripture, and it 
would take up much room to explain it. 
For this reason it is here omitted, and 
also because we are not concerned at this 
time with the history of any of the twelve, 
except Joseph. There is, however, a 
part of the blessing pronounced upon 
Judah, which is too remarkable to be 
passed in silence. It contains a very 
striking prediction of the Messiah, and 
has been wonderfully accomplished. It 
is as follows: — 

"The sceptre shall not depart from 
Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his 
feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him 
shall the gathering of the people be.'^ 

As soon as you read this you perceive 
that the dying patriarch foresaw the 
coming of some great personage, whom 
he calls Shiloh. He foresaw that Judah 
should be the chief tribe ; governing the 
rest by his sceptre^ and furnishing to the 
rest princes and lawgivers. He foresaw 
that this authority should not forsake the 
tribe of Judah until this great personage 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 173 

should come. And, finally, he foresa\v 
that people of all nations should be ga- 
thered together under Shiloh. 

Shiloh is the Messiah, the Lord Jesus 
Christ.* Until his coming the descend- 
ants of Judah possessed considerable 
authority ; afterwards their power was 
taken away. Now as all the authority 
of Judah has long since ceased, the Jews 
ought to believe that Shiloh has already 
come. But the reader must look in other 
works for a full interpretation of this 
remarkable prophecy. 

Israel now gave his last commands to 
his family. He charged them thus: "I 
am to be gathered unto my people. Bury 
me with my fathers in the cave that is in 
the field of Ephron the Hittite. In the 
cave that is in the field of Machpelah, 
which is before Mamre, in the land of 
Canaan, which Abraham bought with 
the field of Ephron the Hittite, for a pos- 
session of a burying-place. There they 

* The word is variously rendered, Peace^ the 
Peaceful one, His to xohom it belongs, &c. 
15^^ 



174 LIFE OF JACOB, 

buried Abraham and Sarah his wife ;| 
there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his 
wife; and there I buried Leah.'^ 

And when Jacob had made an end of 
commanding his sons, he drew up his 
feet into the bed, and yielded his spirit, 
and was gathered to his people. In other 
words, his soul was joined to the souls 
of his pious forefathers. As soon as this 
took place, Joseph fell upon his father's 
face, and wept upon him, and kissed him : 
no doubt closing his eyes, as had been 
foretold. His age was a hundred and 
forty-seven years. How peaceful is the 
dying scene of this good old man ! We 
read of no doubts, no shrinking, no hor- 
ror. All is calmness and faith. Though 
fully assured that he is on the brink of 
eternity, he shows no confusion or fear. 
Is there any reader who is not ready to 
say, Let Jacobus God be my God ? 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 175 



CHAPTER XIII. 

Embalming — Jacob is embalmed — The mourning- 
Funeral proceeds to Canaan — Burial at Machpelah 
— Guilty fears of Joseph's brothers, and his kindness 
— Increase of his family — Joseph dies. 

Before proceeding to give an account 
of the burial of Jacob, it will be necessa- 
ry to say a few words respecting the 
manner in which the Egyptians treated 
the bodies of the dead: for Joseph con- 
formed in this respect to the customs of 
the land. 

The changes which death produces in 
the human frame are very distressing. 
The most beautiful features soon change, 
and the finest form becomes a heap of 
putrefaction. It seems natural, therefore, 
to desire some way of preserving the 
corpses of friends and relatives from this 
shocking decay. This the Egyptians at- 
tempted, by the process of emhalming. 



176 LIFE OF JACOB, 

They excelled all nations in this art. 
Bodies preserved in this manner are still 
in existence, after several thousand years. 
The writer has seen a number of such 
bodies, which are called mummies,^ Al- 
though after so long a period they have 
a disgusting appearance, yet historians 
inform us, that for a great number of 
years a dead body might be kept in al- 
most perfect preservation. Many of the 
Egyptians (as we are told by Diodo- 
rus) kept the dead bodies of their an- 
cestors in splendid houses, and thus had 
before them the exact countenance of 
those who had died many ages before 
they were themselves born. Strange to 
say, these dead bodies were sometimes 
brought out to feasts, and set at the ta- 
bles. 

The physicians or embalmers, in order 
to preserve the dead body in this way, 
were employed several weeks in perform- 
ing various operations upon it. Remov- 
ing the more corruptible parts, they filled 
* See page 100. 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 177 

the body with myrrh, cassia, salt, and 
the richest gums and spices. After many 
washings, saltings, and rubbings, they 
rolled the corpse in fine linen, smeared 
over with a sort of glue. They then 
prepared a frame or case of wood, re- 
sembling the human shape, and into this 
they put the embalmed body. The 
whole process lasted from thirty to se- 
venty days. In the case of Jacob we 
find forty days to have been employed. 

At a proper time after his father^s 
death, Joseph commanded his servants, 
the physicians, to take measures for the 
embalming. Forty days were employed 
in this manner, and the Egyptians 
mourned for him seventy days. In east- 
ern countries the expressions of grief for 
the dead are loud and long continued. 
Days are often spent in lamentation and 
wailing, and where the deceased has been 
distinguished, multitudes join in these 
ceremonies. The principal mourners, 
during these seasons, were clothed in 
rough and unsightly garments, and ab- 



178 LIFE OF JACOB, 

sented themselves from places of splen- 
dour and amusement. This is, probably, 
the reason why Joseph did not go in per- 
son to make a request of the king. For, 
we find, that as soon as the days of 
mourning were past, Joseph requested 
some of the courtiers, or officers who 
were around the king, to inform him of 
Joseph's Avish to carry the body of his 
father to Canaan. He directed them to 
tell Pharaoh of the oath which Israel 
had exacted from him respecting this, and 
to request the king's permission. This 
was readily granted by Pharaoh, and 
preparations were made for a magnifi- 
cent procession and funeral. This plain 
man, a foreigner and a shepherd, was 
buried with the pomp of kings. Not 
only d;d his sons attend the corpse on its 
way, but all the servants of Pharaoh, all 
his principal officers, and all the elders or 
nobles of Egypt. There were both cha- 
riots and horsemen in the retinue ; a very 
great company. 

When they had reached the threshing- 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 179 

floor of Atad, which is thought to have 
been near Jericho, the funeral procession 
stopped. There they renewed the cus- 
tomary ceremonies of lamentation, and 
mourned for seven days; after which, 
nothing remained but to inter the corpse. 
So remarkable was the expression of grief, 
that the Canaanites who witnessed it, and 
who did not know the country of the de- 
ceased, said, " This is a grievous mourn- 
ing of the Egyptians.'^ Therefore, the 
place received its name, The Mourning 
of the Egyptians^ or Abel-Mizraim. 
The sons of Jacob then proceeded to 
bury him in the family burying-place 
near Hebron; and all of the company 
returned to Egypt. 

', In all that has been related, we have 
seen the forgiving temper of Joseph 
towards his brothers. Although they had 
treated him with the utmost cruelty, he 
had requited them with remarkable fa- 
vours, for a great number of years. As 
long as Jacob was alive, they appear to 



180 LIFE OF JACOB, ^mm I 

have had no anxiety. They knew tMr 
a desire to prevent his father's being dis- 
tressed, would be enough to keep him 
from punishing them, or taking revenge 
on them. But, now that Jacob was no 
more, their guilty consciences again made 
them afraid. They did not enter into Jo- 
seph's benevolent feelings, but suspected 
that he might now exercise his authority 
upon them, and avenge himself. They 
said, " Perhaps Joseph will hate us, and 
will certainly requite us all the evil which 
we did unto him." They, therefore, sent 
a messenger to say to him : " Thy father 
did command us before he died to say to 
Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee, now, the 
trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; 
for they did unto thee evil. And, now, ' 
forgive, we pray thee, the trespass of the 
servants of the God of thy father ?" 

Joseph was deeply grieved at these 
suspicions. When he heard their re- 
quest, he wept. His pain must have been 
increased, when they fell down before 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. ISl 

his face and said, " Behold, we are thy 
servants.'^ He immediately relieved 
their fears, saying, " Fear not. Am I in 
the place of God?'' That is, revenge 
belongs not to me, but to God. As we 
read elsewhere: Vengeance is mine. I 
will repay, saith the Lord. 

"As for you," continued Joseph, "ye 
thought evil against me, but God meant 
it for good, to save much people alive, as 
it is this day. Now, therefore, fear ye 
not. I will support you and your little 
ones." 

Thus he acted the part of a good bro- 
ther and a godly man, and comforted 
them by words of kindness. Joseph was 
about fifty-six years of age when his fa- 
ther died. Of the remaining fifty-four 
years of his life we have little account. 
No doubt they were years of prosperity; 
and, by his favour with the king and the 
people, he was able to promote the com- 
fort of his brothers and their descendants. 
He lived to see Ephraim's children of the 
16 



182 LIFE OP JACOB, 

third generation, and, also, the children 
of Machir, the son of Manasseh. 

When he perceived that his end was 
near, he said to his brothers, " I die : and 
God will surely visit you, and bring you 
out of this land, unto the land which he 
sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to 
Jacob/^ 

So strong was his faith, such his impli- 
cit confidence, that the children of Israel 
should return to Canaan, that he caused 
his brothers to swear that they would 
take his bones with them when this event 
should take place. The apostle Paul re- 
cords this as a mark of his faith, " By 
faith^ Joseph, when he died, made men- 
tion of the departure of the children of 
Egypt, and gave commandment con- 
cerning his bones/ ^* 

Thus, Joseph died, aged a hundred 
and ten years. And he was embalmed, 
and put in a coffin in Egypt. This event 

* Heb. xi. 22. 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 183 

took place about the year of the world, 
2369, or, 1619 years before the birth of 
Christ. The history contained in our 
narrative, occupies, therefore, a period of 
about two centuries. 



184 LIFE OP JACOB, 



II 



CHAPTER XIV. 

Closing Reflections — Jacob the chosen servant and 
friend of God- — All God's covenant promises to Ja- 
cob fulfilled — Remarks on Jacob's sins and afflic- 
tions — Joseph an example for youth — The history of 
Joseph a striking illustration of the wonderful ways 
of Divine Providence. 

We have now finished the history of 
Jacob, and his son Joseph, and it only 
remains to make a few observations upon 
the whole. 

1. Jacob was the chosen servant and 
friend of God, In various parts of the 
Scripture you will find him named with 
honour. In many places God conde- 
scends to call himself the God of Jacobs 
the Holy One of Israel^ the Mighty One 
of Jacob. ^ He also refers to the cove- 

* Ps. xlvi. 7; Ixxv. 9; Ixxvi. 6; Ixxxi. 1. 4; 
Ixxxiv. 8 ; xciv. 7 ; cxiv. 7 ; cxxxii. 2.5; cxlvi. 5. 
Isa. ii. 3. Mic. iv. 2. 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 185 

nant which he had made with Jacob, 
often bringing it up to the recollections 
of his descendants. The most honoura- 
ble name of this nation was that of their 
great ancestor, Israel^ or, the children of 
Israel. They are called, " The seed of 
Israel, his (that is, God^s) servant.''* 
Truly, the memory of the just is blessed! 
2. Ml God^s covenant promises to 
Jacob were fully accomplished, Jacob's 
posterity increased beyond all computa- 
tion, and they enjoyed the land which 
God had promised to their fathers. All 
the Israelites are from this one stock. 
Whenever we look at a Jew, we should 
remember that he is one of the promised 
descendants of Jacob. Millions after 
millions have lived and died, and mil- 
lions of Jews are now alive. All these 
are Israel's seed. And what is very re- 
markable, the Jews have continued until 
the present day, unmixed with other na- 
tions. Though, for their sins, they have 
been scattered among almost every peo- 
* 1 Chron. xvi. 13. Ps. cv. 6. 
16^ 



186 LIFE OF JACOB, 

pie on the globe, they have still remained 
a distinct people. This was predicted, 
and this, as well as all other predictions 
of God, will never fail. 

3. In the character of Jacob ive see 
virtues and faults intermixed^ and ive 
also seCy by turns ^ prosperity and adver- 
sity. The sin of Jacob, in deceiving his 
aged father, Avas visited upon him long 
afterwards. No one of the patriarchs 
ever suffered so many distresses. Take 
notice, that as he sinned by deceit, so he 
suffers by deceit. As he deceived Isaac, 
so he is himself deceived, first, by Laban, 
and then by his cruel and perfidious 
sons. 

Yet he was a holy man. It would 
seem that as he advanced in life, he be- 
came more free from sin, and his last 
days w^ere his best days. If you look 
back at the history you will be surprised 
to observe how many times God appear- 
ed to him, and conversed with him, and 
blessed him. Although we are not to 
expect communications from God by the 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 187 

same methods, yet we too may walk with 
God and have communion with him. 
For, by his Holy Spirit, God does to this 
day reveal himself, in some good mea- 
sure, to every sincere Christian. Be re- 
conciled to the God of Jacob, and then 
you may live the life, and die the peace- 
ful death of this good man. 

4. The history of Joseph sets a lovely 
example before youth^ and teaches us 
much of the wonders of Providence, Jo- 
seph is a suitable example for every 
young person. He Avas tempted to a 
great sin, to commit which there were 
many inducements; yet he Avas faithful 
to God and his conscience. that every 
youthful reader would remember Joseph's 
words in times of temptation: How can 
I do this great wickedness^ and sin 
against God? True, Joseph was cast 
into prison, under a false accusation, but 
that very trial opened the way^for his 
greatest exaltation. 

Joseph is an example in his spirit of 
forgiveness towards his cruel brethren 



188 LIFE OF JACOB, 

He had been grossly injured by them — 
he had them fully in his power — and yet 
he does not punish them, or even upbraid 
them. 

He is an example in the faithfulness 
with which he discharged the duty of 
every station in which he was placed. 
When a shepherd's boy he goes willingly 
on a dangerous errand; when the slave 
of Potiphar he obeyed and served his 
master with the utmost faithfulness ; 
when the under keeper of a prison he is 
laborious and trusty; and when the vice- 
roy of Egypt he discharges every duty 
with earnestness and diligence. 

And, finally, he is an example in the 
tender and affectionate regard whicji he 
manifested toward his aged father. 

But this history teaches us much of 
the wonders of divine Providence. This 
narrative has always been considered as 
one of the most astonishing displays of 
God's wise and mysterious dealings. 
Here we see the Most High bringing 
good out of evil — making the wrath of 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 189 

man praise him — and overruling even 
the sins of men to a great and glorious 
end. 

What contrasts we observe in the life 
of Joseph ! See him at one time, in that 
dreary pit, stripped and trembling, await- 
ing death; and then behold him a prince, 
followed by the acclamations of Egypt. 
It was the Lord^s doing. Not one of the 
persons concerned could have foreseen 
such a change. 

When Joseph was sold into Egypt, he 
no doubt considered it the greatest afflic- 
tion of his life. Yet see the wonderful 
purpose of God in it. If this had not 
taken place, he never could have become 
the ruler of that land — ^he never could 
have saved the life of his friends. 

Again, when Joseph was falsely ac- 
cused and thrown into prison, it is likely 
his heart was almost broken. Yet here 
again we behold the finger of God. If 
he had not been imprisoned, he never 
could have seen the king's butler; if he 
had not seen the butler, he never could 



190 LIFE OF JACOB, 

have been admitted to court; if he had 
not been admitted to court, he never 
could have been made governor; and if 
he had not been governor, he could never 
have relieved and saved his aged father. 

Even the wickedness of the wicked is 
overruled to the praise of God. The sin 
of Joseph's brothers in selling him, and 
the sin of Potiphar's wife in falsely ac- 
cusing him, are made to conduce to the 
great end Avhich God had in view. This 
is remarkably owned by Joseph himself, 
when he made himself known to his 
brothers and said, " God did send me 
before you to preserve life. So it was 
not you that sent me hither, but God.'' 
Gen. xlv. 5 — 8. 

The friendship of God to Jacob and 
Joseph is remarkable in the whole nar- 
rative. All their life long God was near 
them to befriend them, and when they 
came to die, — ^how calm and serene was 
their death ! 

Reader, if you would be happy in life, 
and fearless in death, yield yourselves to 



AND HIS SON JOSEPH. 191 

the God of Jacob and of Joseph. By- 
reason of sin you are naturally at enmity 
with the Most High. Repent, therefore, 
and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and 
you shall be adopted into the family of 
God. 



THE END. 



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